KATHMANDU, AUGUST 11

A seven-member panel led by Deputy Inspector General of Police Basant Lama formed to investigate the leaking of question papers set for Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (Pre-SAT) has submitted its report to Inspector General of Police Shailesh Thapa Kshetri and recommended action against 13 police personnel.

Of them, three police personnel will be liable to dismissal from service. They include Sub-Inspector Janak Bahadur Thapa, head constable Kumar Shah and helper Suresh Bam. SI Thapa was also a member of the examination committee of the UN Section at Nepal Police Headquarters. The committee was responsible for conducting pre-SAT test for police employees aspiring to join the UN Peacekeeping Mission abroad.

According to the report, the question paper set by the UN Section was leaked by SI Thapa to the examinees, including SI Keshav Karki and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ashok Karki before the exam started. Head constable Shah and helper Bam had worked in collusion with SI Shah to circulate the copies of question papers to others.

Those who succeed in making it through the pre-SAT are eligible to appear for SAT, which almost guarantee a cop a place in the UN Peacekeeping Mission.

The question paper leakage came to light during the second day of exams conducted on July 31 when 2,400 police personnel ranging from constables to senior superintendents of police were appearing for the test at Nepal Police Headquarters and all seven provincial police offices.

After some of the examinees complained of question paper leakage, the test was rescheduled on the same day with a new set of question papers.

Pre-SAT is conducted by the UN Section, in addition to preparation of question paper.

As per the report, the question paper was kept in a locked cupboard of the UN Section on July 27. When there was no one at the office, helper Bam unlocked the cupboard with a duplicate key and took a photograph of the question paper with his mobile phone set. After that, he had sent it to head constable Shah through Viber before it reached SI Thapa.

Officials said SI Thapa had circulated the question paper to at least 119 examinees on July 28. The NP Headquarters has also decided to seek clarification from 10 police personnel for their negligence in maintaining the confidentiality of the question papers and inciting the leakage. They are superintendents of police Anupam Shumsher Rana and Bed Bista, deputy superintendents of police Rupesh Khadka and Sugandha Shrestha, Inspector Dilip Chhetri, SIs Kedar Timalsina and Sunil Kumar Bhandari, SI Karki, ASI Karki and constable Sunita Nepal. The probe panel has also recommended cancellation of previous exams and conducting new ones.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 12 2021, of The Himalayan Times.