Odisha govt suspends BSE vice president in OTET question paper leak
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha govt on Tuesday suspended vice-president of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, following his arrest by the state Crime Branch for his involvement in the Special Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) 2025 question paper leak.
Mohanty was taken into custody on Sunday following intensive interrogation by investigators on Saturday. His arrest brought the total number of accused connected to the leak to eight.
The OTET exam—scheduled for July 20, 2025, for in-service primary school teachers—was postponed just hours before it was to begin due to the circulation of identical handwritten and printed question papers on social media platforms.
Investigators alleged that the principal accused, Jitan Moharana, a data entry operator at BSE, accessed the question paper from Mohanty's laptop—violating security protocol—and distributed it further.
Moharana reportedly received Rs 2.4–Rs 2.5 lakh through UPI transfers linked to the leak. Call logs revealed over 100 calls between Mohanty and Moharana outside office hours during the past three months, underscoring a suspicious nexus.
Several other individuals, including teachers and brokers, have been implicated for translating, distributing, and monetizing the leaked papers.
The OTET exam is now rescheduled for August 31, 2025, and the BSE has introduced stricter security protocols.
Admit cards will be issued starting August 22, and the test will be conducted in two sessions to restore credibility and discourage malpractices, official sources said.
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