Punjab paper leak row: AAP rejects resignation demands, says pharmacy exam involved cheating, not paper leak

A fresh political row has erupted in Punjab over alleged irregularities in the Pharmacy Officer recruitment examination, with the Opposition demanding ministerial resignations following the exit of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper leak controversy.

Responding to the demands, Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains ruled out stepping down, saying the examination did not fall under his department.

"Pharmacy is not in my department. So, I will not resign," Bains said. He, however, added, "Salute to the youth of India for Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation," crediting student protests over the NEET-UG controversy.

The controversy stems from the July 19 Pharmacy Officer recruitment examination, during which Punjab Police and flying squads busted an alleged high-tech cheating racket. Authorities said candidates used hidden pen cameras, Bluetooth devices and other electronic gadgets to receive answers after the examination had begun. Several people were arrested in connection with the case.

Rejecting the Opposition's allegations of a paper leak, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government's record, asserting that not a single competitive examination paper has leaked during the AAP government's four-and-a-half years in office.

Mann said the pharmacy recruitment case was an incident of cheating, not a paper leak, and claimed those involved were caught within minutes of the exam starting. He added that all the accused are now behind bars and assured that there had been no compromise in the integrity of recruitment examinations under his government.

The Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, however, have accused the AAP government of failing to prevent examination irregularities and have demanded the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh. The Opposition argues that the same standard of accountability that led to Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation should apply in Punjab as well.

The AAP government has maintained that the incident has been misrepresented as a paper leak for political reasons, insisting that it was an organised cheating attempt that was detected and acted upon immediately, rather than a question paper being leaked before the examination.