Uttar Pradesh police officers review underway: All about paper leaks and new measures

The Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam 2024 has begun on August 23 and will continue till August 31. It will be held at 1,174 centres across the state. The stakes are high for the state government as the re-exam is being held after it was cancelled in February due to a leaked question paper. Proper biometric verification including fingerprint and facial recognition, CCTV cameras and jammers, to name a few. Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam 2024 was held in four shifts on February 17 and 18. On February 24, the state government cancelled the exams due to a leaked question paper. It has been ordered that the re-exam should be conducted within six months, maintaining highest standards of fairness and transparency and strict rules to ensure proper examination without cheating.

In February, at least 178 FIRS cases were registered in 41 districts of Uttar Pradesh in connection with the disclosure of exam papers. Around 400 people were arrested in Gautam Buddh Nagar, including two alleged masterminds named Rajiv Nayan Mishra and Ravi Attri.

The country is still reeling from the irregularities faced by aspiring medical students in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) examinations. There was a change in leadership at the National Testing Agency and the case was transferred to the CBI. Finally, the Supreme Court ordered a re-examination on June 13, which was held on June 23.

Previously, Uttar Pradesh Police constables were recruited only after the High Court and Supreme Court gave the go-ahead. Despite this, even after recruitment, screening and all the investigations, the entire process was stopped due to irregularities in the exams. Over the years, cases of document leakage, identity fraud while appearing in the exam and various other irregularities have occurred across the country.

To ensure proper examination, the Uttar Pradesh government has taken meticulous and stringent measures to ensure the sanctity and transparency of the examination. Judges have been stationed at each centre, body searches, security checks using hand-held metal detectors (HHMD) and biometric verifications like fingerprints and facial recognition have been conducted.

In cases where facial recognition is not possible, a facial recognition imaging system (FRIS) has been set up. In case of doubt, Aadhaar card authentication is done to confirm the identity of the candidate. In addition, jammers have been deployed to prevent the use of electronic devices such as mobile phones and Bluetooth. The exam halls are monitored by CCTV cameras, whose live feeds are sent to the control rooms. In addition, officers ranging from deputy superintendents of police to sub-inspectors have been deployed to monitor the centres.