Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Exam Controversy: Congress Launches Scathing Attack on Bhagwant Mann Government; Massive Protest Outside BFUHS in Faridkot…
Faridkot (Alexander D’Souza): The high-tech cheating and paper leak scandal surrounding the Pharmacy Officer recruitment exam conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) has caused a political upheaval in Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)—which had previously cornered the central government over the NEET paper leak issue—now finds itself directly in the crosshairs of opposition parties within Punjab.
The Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and BJP have launched a concerted campaign against the Bhagwant Mann-led government, demanding the immediate resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and the cancellation of the controversial exam. As part of this agitation, the Congress staged a massive and fierce protest outside Baba Farid University in Faridkot, with thousands of party workers and local youths participating.
Will Fight for the Youth from the Streets to Parliament:
During the protest, senior Congress leaders—including former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and former MLAs Kushaldeep Singh (Kikki) Dhillon, Ajaypal Sandhu, Gurjit Rana, and Ravinder Amla—launched a scathing attack on the state government.
Congress leaders remarked that the Aam Aadmi Party, which used to preach morality and transparency while in Delhi, is now jeopardizing the futures of thousands of hardworking and deserving youths in Punjab. They made it clear that the Congress’s struggle would continue until Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains resigns and the exam is cancelled and re-conducted.
Warning the government, former MLA Kikki Dhillon stated that the fight against this betrayal of the youth would be a decisive battle. He alleged that the Mann government is using wordplay to downplay the paper leak as a mere incident of “cheating” in order to shield its favored officials and the actual culprits. Politicians claim that institutional transparency in the state has collapsed and that gangs selling exam papers for lakhs of rupees are operating brazenly right under the government’s nose.
Pen cameras, Bluetooth, and deals worth lakhs: What is the full story?
A highly organized and high-tech cheating racket was exposed during the Pharmacy Officer recruitment exam held on July 19:
Use of pen cameras and Bluetooth: As soon as the exam began, a candidate used a pen camera to photograph the question paper and send the images to a gang stationed outside. Subsequently, answers were dictated to candidates via Bluetooth, wireless earphones, and miniature electronic devices.
Deals ranging from ₹3 lakh to ₹13 lakh: According to the police investigation, this interstate gang charged between ₹3 lakh and ₹13 lakh per candidate to facilitate cheating.
Over 37 arrests: Police and flying squads have so far arrested more than 37 individuals—including candidates and gang kingpins—from Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
‘Paper Leak’ vs. ‘Cheating’: Political temperatures rise
Political tensions in Punjab have escalated following this incident. While the Congress party and student organizations label it a “direct paper leak” resulting from collusion among top officials, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party maintain that it is not a case of a paper leak. According to the government, it was an attempt to cheat using electronic devices inside the exam center; the attempt was promptly detected on the spot, and strict legal action has been taken against the accused.
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