Dehradun Police have arrested an assistant professor of Shivalik College of Engineering, Jhajhra, for allegedly leaking the question paper of an Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) even-semester examination held on 8 July. The accused, identified as Ashish Kumar Gupta, was taken into custody following an electronic evidence trail that linked him to a WhatsApp-based paper-sharing network targeting students ahead of the exam.

How the Leak Was Uncovered

The case surfaced after university officials compared questions circulated on WhatsApp groups with the actual examination paper and found significant similarities. An internal inquiry committee constituted by UTU confirmed that the leaked material had been shared through WhatsApp groups and other channels before the examination was conducted.

A formal complaint was filed at Prem Nagar Police Station by Controller of Examinations Vinay Kumar Patel, leading to the registration of an FIR against Gupta.

Police Action and Evidence Collection

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Singh Dobal directed an immediate investigation upon receiving the complaint. Police collected electronic evidence and moved swiftly to arrest the accused professor. The electronic devices seized during the operation are currently being examined by authorities.

Investigators have indicated that efforts are underway to identify and probe other individuals who may have been part of the alleged paper leak network, suggesting the case could widen further.

Chief Minister Dhami's Response

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami responded to the arrest by reiterating the Uttarakhand government's zero-tolerance stance on examination malpractice. He stated that strict action would be taken against anyone found involved in cheating, question paper leaks, or compromising the confidentiality of recruitment or university examinations.

Dhami noted that the state's stringent anti-copying law and sustained enforcement have already resulted in the arrest of more than 100 members of cheating syndicates and their associates across various cases. He asserted that the government's priority remains ensuring a fair, transparent, and merit-based examination system for the youth of Uttarakhand.

Broader Crackdown Context

The arrest of Gupta is part of a wider campaign against examination malpractice that the Dhami government has pursued with increasing intensity. Notably, this is not an isolated incident — the crossing of the 100-arrest milestone in cheating-related cases signals a sustained institutional push rather than a one-off response.

With electronic devices still under forensic examination and the investigation net potentially widening, further arrests in the UTU paper leak case are considered possible. The outcome will be closely watched as a test of whether Uttarakhand's anti-cheating framework can hold accountable those inside academia, not just external syndicates.