Now Reading: Six arrested in MPSC Drug Inspector exam paper leak case
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Six arrested in MPSC Drug Inspector exam paper leak case
Mumbai police arrested six people, including three Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) officials, on Wednesday for allegedly leaking the Drug Inspector Group-B screening exam question paper. The arrested include under secretary Abhijit Lendwe, assistant section officers Vishweshwar Nakate and Gopal Marathe, academy director Pravin Patil, and two alleged co-conspirators. The Crime Branch said the accused obtained questions before the March 22 exam, compiled them, and circulated them. The six were remanded to police custody till September 2.
The MPSC cancelled the recruitment process after complaints that some candidates got the paper two days early via social media. A fresh exam will be held for all candidates, including the 485 who were found eligible for appointment. Opposition leaders, including NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande, questioned why no FIR was registered sooner and demanded the commission make its inquiry report public. Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal called the leak another instance of the government crushing youth aspirations.
The BJP-led state government has promised a thorough investigation. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said strict action will be taken against the guilty.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The India Gazette led with opposition accusations of a state-wide agent racket and calls to 'uproot' the government, while Times of India front-loaded the police action and arrests. The Gazette omitted the arrests entirely, framing the story as a political failure, Times of India included opposition criticism but embedded it within the procedural timeline. The arrest of three MPSC officials, reported only by Times of India, undercuts the Gazette's framing of a cover-up. The key next step: the court hears the remand extension on September 2.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): indiagazette.com (government critical), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
