Amid ongoing protests demanding the cancellation of a recent Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) exam, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, a senior minister in the state cabinet and close aide of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, stated on Tuesday that no evidence of a question paper leak has been found so far.

Chaudhary’s remarks followed Chief Secretary Amir Subhani’s meeting with a delegation of protesters on Monday in an effort to resolve the deadlock.

Speaking to reporters, Chaudhary said, “The government has acted with utmost transparency. The chief secretary patiently listened to the grievances. However, no concrete evidence of a question paper leak has been presented.”

He added, “As of now, we stand by the conclusion that there was no paper leak, a view also supported by the BPSC. While one examination center did report disturbances, a re-examination has been ordered for the affected candidates.”

Chaudhary acknowledged a “conspiracy to spread rumors” about a paper leak. “Those responsible for spreading baseless rumors have played with the future of young students. They must be identified and brought to justice,” he asserted.

The controversy stems from the Combined Competitive Exams held on December 13, where hundreds of candidates at the Bapu Pariksha Parisar in Patna boycotted the test, alleging a paper leak. In response, the BPSC announced a re-examination for over 10,000 candidates on January 4 at alternate centers.

The commission maintains that the exam was conducted smoothly at 911 other centers across Bihar, with no complaints from over five lakh candidates. However, some aspirants continue to demand a re-examination at all centers to ensure fairness.

The protests have gained political traction, with opposition parties, including the Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) led by Prashant Kishor, supporting the agitation. Kishor, often criticized as a “B team” of the ruling NDA by the RJD, led a demonstration on Sunday, which was met with a police crackdown. He urged protesters to await the government’s response by January 1 before resuming their agitation.

Separately, leaders from CPI(ML) Liberation, Congress, CPI, and CPI(M) attempted a ‘Raj Bhavan march’ on Tuesday, demanding a thorough inquiry into the alleged paper leak. Police stopped the march before it could reach the governor’s residence, leading to allegations of “misbehavior” with protesters, including CPI(ML) leaders Sudama Prasad and Shashi Yadav.

A five-member delegation later submitted a memorandum to the governor’s principal secretary, Robert L Chongthu, demanding an investigation into the alleged leak and accountability for officials involved. The delegation included legislative party leaders Mehboob Alam (CPI-ML), Shakil Ahmed Khan (Congress), Ram Ratan Singh (CPI), and Ajay Kumar (CPI-M).

With assembly elections approaching, the issue has taken on a political dimension, intensifying pressure on the state government to address the concerns of aspirants and opposition leaders.