DEHRADUN: Amid the ongoing unrest related to paper leaks, Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) cancelled two BTech examinations following allegations that a paper had been leaked on WhatsApp. An affiliated college terminated the service of an accused assistant professor, and he was arrested on Thursday following a complaint by the university. The incident sparked protests on the campus, with members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and other youth groups submitting a memorandum to the administration.According to university officials, the leaked papers were from second- and third-year BTech in electronics course. The controversy began earlier this month when university officials received an anonymous email alleging that the third-year elective paper, Machine Learning for Internet of Things (IOTT004), had been compromised.“After a preliminary investigation, we found that the questions shared on WhatsApp by assistant professor Ashish Kumar Gupta matched the final exam paper by 90% to 95%. The university cancelled the exam with immediate effect,” said controller of examinations VK Patel.As a precaution, officials also annulled the second-year Electromagnetic Field Theory (ECT043) exam as it was set by the same professor, despite no direct evidence of a leak for that paper.An official circular released after the vice-chancellor’s approval stated that the cancellations were ordered to uphold the “credibility, purity and student interest” of the examination system. Re-examinations for both subjects—affecting 355 second-year and 22 third-year students—are scheduled for the third week of Aug 2026.Based on the university’s complaint, a case was registered at Premnagar police station under BNS sections 316, 318(4), and 61(2), and Gupta, who had been with the university for nearly a decade, was arrested. Police said an investigation is underway regarding the equipment recovered from the accused. Evidence is being gathered concerning other individuals involved in the case, and necessary action will be taken in accordance with the rules, said police.NSUI leader Siddharth Agarwal criticised the state administration, alleging widespread negligence in the higher education department and demanding the resignation of the state higher education minister. Demonstrators also gathered at Dehradun’s Budhhi Chowk area to join broader protests condemning police actions against student groups in Delhi.“The recurring incidents of paper leaks constitute a grave injustice to the hard work, time, and future of the students,” said a student.Uttarakhand has faced repeated exam leak scandals over the past decade. The first major controversies appeared in 2017-18, followed by leaks in 2021 involving patwari and lekhpal exams. The UKSSSC graduate-level leak in 2022 triggered widespread outrage. Similar leaks of UKSSSC exam happened in 2025 too, leading to major statewide agitations.
