Paper leak protests spiral in Uttarakhand, CM Dhami calls it ‘nakal jihad’
Dehradun: Protests over an alleged paper leak in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) exam have intensified across the state, with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami controversially describing the incident as “nakal (cheating) jihad”, The Indian Express reported on Thursday.
According to the report, the UKSSSC examination was held on Sunday, but allegations of malpractice surfaced after three pages of the question paper were leaked online, triggering widespread demonstrations. Protesters have been gathering at Dehradun’s Parade Ground since Sunday, led by the Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangathan and other youth groups.
The police arrested two individuals, identified as Khalid Malik and his sister Sabia, on Tuesday in connection with the leak. Malik, who took the exam in Haridwar, allegedly photographed the question paper and sent it to Sabia. She is accused of forwarding it to Malik’s friend, Suman, a professor, in an attempt to get the answers. However, police reportedly mentioned Suman did not respond with solutions but instead alerted local youth leader Bobby Panwar about the incident.
However, the protesters claimed that Malik and Sabia were not the only ones responsible for the alleged paper leak, the report added.
Addressing new BJP office bearers on Wednesday, Chief Minister Dhami alleged a broader conspiracy to destroy the future of the youth by leaking examination papers. “The coaching mafia and cheating mafia come together to carry out nakal jihad in the state… to spread anarchy in the region. To those mafias and jihadis, I warn you that as long as the mafia is not destroyed. We will not rest,” he said.
Dhami’s use of the term "jihad" to describe the alleged cheating scandal drew sharp criticism from the opposition. Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana accused the Chief Minister of communalising the issue to deflect from governance failures.
“The state was created to address unemployment, education, health and migration crises. These matters have yet to be resolved. A day before the exam, scammer Hakam Singh was arrested. Similarly, several names associated with this incident have surfaced. But for the CM, this is also jihad. Over 22,000 people are in contractual positions, waiting to be regularised, and several recruitment tests for forest, police, PWD, and irrigation departments have been on hold for a long time. The government has failed to address the miseries of people,” TIE quoted Dhasmana as saying.
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Trump tells Fox News he's no longer sending Witkoff, Kushner to Pakistan for Iran talks
Islamabad (AP): President Donald Trump says he told top US envoys not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, telling Fox News that "they can call us anytime they want.”
In a brief phone interview Saturday, Trump told Fox News that he told US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”
Trump also said of the US side “we have all the cards.”
His comments came after the White House said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would be heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran.
