UPTET cancelled after paper leak, CM Adityanath says NSA will be invoked against culprits
Lucknow, Nov 28: The UPTET scheduled to be held on Sunday was cancelled after a question paper for the exam was leaked, an officer here announced shortly before the exam was to begin.
The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested 23 people last night using technical and other intelligence from different cities of the state, Additional Director General Law and Order Prashant Kumar said here.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the culprits will be booked under the National Security Act and Gangster Act.
He also ordered reconvening of the exam within a month.
"A question paper was leaked. I issued an order to cancel the examination and arrest the entire racket. Instructions were also given to conduct the exam within a month, and that no candidate should be charged additional fee, he said addressing a function in Deoria district on Sunday.
He said orders were given to transport the students back to their home towns in UPSRTC buses free of cost on the basis of their admit cards.
"Those who have committed this act should listen that cases will be registered against them under the Gangster Act and the National Security Act, he said.
Later in a tweet in Hindi, the CM said properties will be seized by the government of those involved in the leak.
Close to 20 lakh candidates were to appear for the Uttar Pradesh Teachers Eligibility Test (UPTET) on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, the ADG said that those arrested included four from Lucknow, 13 from Prayagraj, three by the Meerut STF and one from Kaushambi district.
"A photocopy of the question paper was obtained from them, which was shared with the government. It came to light that the copy bore the same set of questions as did the official question paper, he said.
"Immediately it was decided by the government that the exam needs to be cancelled and reconvened in the coming one month.
All expenses for the exam will be borne by the government. The candidates will not have to pay the fees or fill the examination form," he added.
The officer said the matter will be probed by the UP STF, and people or organisations involved in the leak will not be spared.
The question paper of the examination had not reached the examination centres till Sunday morning.
Items seized from accused included mobile phones and photocopy of question papers.
"Apart from UP, some people of Bihar have also been caught in this matter. Either the solver gang leaks the question paper, or a solver (person impersonating the candidate) appears instead of the candidate," Kumar said, adding more arrests will be made.
The situation at centres was under control and announcements were made there to urge the candidates to go back to their homes, added the officer.
Adityanath in a tweet said, "The state government is standing with the candidates of UPTET, and a re-exam will be held in a transparent manner within one month."
"Those who have played with the future of our young brothers and sisters will not be spared. People who have caused inconvenience to you will be definitely punished. Your government is committed to conduct the exams in a fair and transparent manner, he said in another tweet.
UP's Basic Education minister Satish Dwivedi said the exam - in both shifts -- was cancelled immediately after the leak came to surface and promised a strict action against the culprits.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav blamed the BJP government for the leak saying such incidents have become a norm under its rule.
"Cancellation of the UPTET examination due to the leak of the question paper is like playing with the future of nearly 20 lakh aspirants. Paper leaks, cancellation of the examination is common in the BJP government, he said in a Hindi tweet.
Corruption in education in UP is at an all-time high. The unemployed will usher in a revolution, and there will be a change in 2022.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too alleged that corruption in education and recruitment has become common under the BJP.
"Corruption in recruitment, leaking of question papers has become the identity of the BJP government, she said in tweet posted in Hindi.
Today the efforts of lakhs of youths have gone in vain following leak of the question paper. Every time there is a question paper leak, the government of Yogi Adityanath saves the top dogs. This is the reason corruption is at its peak," she added.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
