46th BCS question leak: PSC probe finds no proof, arrestees say otherwise

A shocking twist has unfolded over the 46th BCS preliminary test, held on 26 April, as the Public Service Commission (PSC) probe body reports no evidence of a question paper leak, despite confessions in the court from those arrested by the CID.

The day after a private TV on 7 July aired a report on question leaks in government job tests including the 46th BCS preliminary exam, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested 17 individuals, including three PSC officials, for their alleged involvement in leaking questions for government job exams, including the BCS.

On July 9, the PSC formed a three-member committee led by Abdul Alim Khan, joint secretary to the PSC, to investigate the matter. The committee also included PSC Director Dilawez Drudana and Mohammad Azizul Haque. 

The committee has recently submitted its report to the commission, indicating that it found no evidence of a question leak in the 46th BCS preliminary test.

When asked, committee head Abdul Alim also confirmed the matter to TBS last Saturday.

"The issue of the question leak surfaced following a news broadcast on a private television channel. Subsequently, the CID conducted raids and arrested several people," he said. 

"We sent letters to the CID to aid in our investigation, but they requested more time without providing any information. Additionally, the private television claimed to have evidence of the leak but failed to share it with us," he said.

"So, we conducted our own investigation, based on which I submitted the report. Our investigation found no evidence of a question leak in the 46th BCS preliminary test," he added.

However, Alim's claim sharply contrasts with the confessions made by the arrested individuals in court.

When asked about the PSC report, Azad Rahman, special superintendent of police in the Media Wing of the CID, told TBS, "The CID filed a case after arresting the suspects, meaning the case was lodged based on evidence. It is unclear how they [ PSC authorities] conducted their investigation, especially since some of the arrested individuals have provided confessional statements in court."

What do the arrestees say in their court confessions?

Six of the 17 individuals arrested by the CID have provided confessional statements in court. These include former PSC chairman's driver Abed Ali, dispatch rider Khalilur Rahman, office assistant Sajedul Islam, businessman Sakhawat Hossain and his brother Sayem Hossain, and private university student Liton Sarkar.

TBS has acquired the court confessions of Abed Ali, Khalilur Rahman, and Sajedul Islam, all of whom admitted to their involvement in the question leak and the associated financial transactions.

During his testimony in court, Sajedul claimed that he had met Abu Soleman Md Sohel, who was arrested in this case, 7-8 years ago. Sohel, a developer based in Dhaka's Mirpur, informed Sajedul that the 46th BCS preliminary exam questions would be leaked.

"I managed 17 candidates and handed them over to Sohel. Twelve of those candidates were brought by Khalilur Rahman, including two Dhaka University students named Mahmudul Hasan and Rubel. Sohel tutored these candidates with questions overnight. Out of the 17 candidates, 13 passed the 46th BCS preliminary exam," Sajedul said.

"I collected a total of Tk15-16 lakh in varying amounts from the 13 successful candidates. Of this, I gave Tk13 lakh to Abu Soleman Md Sohel — Tk1 lakh per candidate," he added.

In his testimony, Khalilur Rahman also admitted that he arranged 12 candidates and gave them to Sajedul Islam for the 46th BCS examination. Sajedul Islam is a member of the Lower Subordinate Staff (MLSS) of PSC member Helal Uddin.

Khalilur Rahman also said that BCS question papers had been leaked in the past.

Asked about the confessional statements of the arrestees, PSC probe committee head Abdul Alim said, "I won't comment on the judicial proceedings."

He acknowledged that it would take time to resolve the matter in court.

"However, we did not have much time as written and other activities of the commission were getting delayed awaiting this report," Abdul Alim added.

PSC probe report unacceptable: TIB

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman told TBS that PSC employees have been arrested for their involvement in the question leaks. Some of them have already confessed in court to their roles in leaking exam papers, including those for the 46th BCS preliminary exam, and in engaging in illegal financial transactions.

"Hence, the PSC probe report lacks credibility. No matter how it's interpreted, the PSC cannot escape responsibility for failing to prevent these question leaks," he said.

He also expressed hope that the court would take action against officials implicated in the question leaks across various government job exams, including the 46th BCS preliminary exam, and efforts will be made to identify and prosecute those who secured jobs through these illicit means.

Attempts to reach the PSC chairman for a comment on the matter were unsuccessful, despite multiple phone calls and a text message from TBS.