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Repeated allegations of question paper leaks in recruitment examinations across the country continue to undermine the recruitment process, leaving meritorious candidates frustrated and raising serious concerns about the transparency, fairness and accountability of the system.
From examinations for Assistant Youth Development Officer, Accounts Assistant and Office Assistant positions to BCS examinations, question paper leaks have come to light in recent years, allegedly involving people within the very authorities responsible for conducting them. The alleged culprits formed syndicates and extorted money from job seekers, causing immense suffering to meritorious candidates and harming the state.
Among the most recent incidents, the recruitment examination for the post of Assistant Youth Development Officer under the Department of Youth Development was postponed on 10 October this year amid allegations of a question paper leak.
The recruitment test was scheduled to be held for 242 vacant posts, for which around 3.19 lakh job seekers had applied. Although the examination was scheduled to begin at 11am that day, the authorities postponed it after confirming the question paper leak at 10am.
The Special Response Battalion (SRB) said that at 4:43am, an unclear photograph of the question paper was sent to the mobile phone of Nur Mohammad, an office assistant at the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
About an hour and a half later, at around 6:15am, Jahangir, a computer operator at the same organisation, received a clearer image of the same paper. An answer sheet was then prepared and circulated among other members of the network, who passed it on to prospective candidates and those seeking to obtain the questions.
However, the exam was later held on Friday under the direct supervision of the State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque who reportedly stayed up through the night to oversee every stage, from preparing the question papers to delivering them to each examination centre.
He also assured that everyone involved in the question-paper leak in the recruitment examination would be brought to justice and face exemplary punishment.
Question paper leak case involving the BCS examinations
In 2024, allegations of question paper leaks in various recruitment examinations under the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC), including BCS cadre and non-cadre examinations, sparked widespread controversy.
According to the investigation, the alleged network dated back to 1997, gradually evolving from manipulating seating arrangements and supplying proxy candidates into an organised question-leak syndicate.
The investigation alleged that a syndicate led by Abed Ali leaked questions for the 33rd to 45th BCS examinations, as well as non-cadre recruitment tests, supplying questions and answers to selected candidates before the examinations.
The network reportedly involved people from various professions across the country, including government employees, current and former BPSC officials and staff, businesspeople, healthcare professionals and students.
Other recruitment examinations postponed, cancelled
This was not the first time that question papers for recruitment examinations had allegedly been leaked, prompting the authorities to postpone or cancel the examinations. There have been at least six other incidents since 2017 in which the authorities took such decisions.
On 26 December 2025, the examination for the post of Accounts Assistant under the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) was postponed following allegations of a question paper leak.
The examination was scheduled to be held from 3pm to 4:20pm that day. However, it was postponed after job seekers alleged that earlier that day the question paper had been leaked and that the alleged leaked questions had also circulated on social media.
Earlier, on 13 May 2022, an examination for the recruitment of Office Assistant-cum-Computer Typist under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) was held at 61 centres across Dhaka, with a total of 183,000 candidates competing for 513 posts. On 19 May, the examination was cancelled through an “urgent notice”, citing “unavoidable circumstances”.
It was reported that a job seeker named Suman Joardar was arrested at the Eden College examination centre on the day of the examination with answers to the question paper. The answers to 70 marks were reportedly written on the back of his admit card. He had allegedly obtained the questions 42 minutes before the examination began.
On 21 October 2022, a written examination for several posts at Biman Bangladesh Airlines, including 100 pilot positions, was scheduled to be held at 3pm.
However, the examination was postponed at the last minute following allegations of a question paper leak.
In mid-2023, the Detective Branch of police submitted a charge sheet to the court against 30 people, including 26 employees of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, in connection with the incident.
On 11 November 2021, the recruitment examination for Officer (Cash) positions at five state-owned banks, conducted under the Bankers’ Selection Committee, was cancelled following allegations of a question paper leak.
The examination had been held on 6 November to recruit candidates directly for 1,511 vacant positions across the five banks. In addition, the written examinations for two posts at three other banks were also postponed.
On 20 July 2018, Bangladesh Railway postponed the recruitment test for ticket collectors, which was scheduled to be held simultaneously in Rajshahi and Chittagong, following reports of a question paper leak.
Around 64,000 job seekers from various parts of the country who had gathered in Rajshahi and Chittagong to sit the examination were asked to return home following the postponement.
On 19 May 2017, the afternoon session of the preliminary recruitment examination for the Senior Officer post at Agrani Bank was also postponed following allegations of a question paper leak.
The morning session of the examination was held from 10am to 11am that day, while the afternoon session was scheduled to begin at 3pm.
However, allegations of a question paper leak had emerged the previous day, with candidates claiming that the questions in the alleged leaked paper matched those in the original question paper.
What do the experts say?
Prof Dr Md Sahabul Haque of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology blamed the recurring question paper leaks on a nationwide moral decline, saying that such incidents had occurred under successive governments as people used money or power to serve their own interests.
Hundreds of people like Abed Ali may be involved, and such activities cannot continue without backing from influential quarters, he said, adding that it was deeply disappointing that the same practices persisted even after the fall of the Hasina government.
He said that the practice deprived the state of meritorious people and harmed the nation. A consensus and swift, serious action against those responsible were essential.
Retired Bangladesh Police Deputy Inspector General M Akbar Ali emphasised the need for preventive measures rather than relying solely on reactive responses.
“The responsibility for preparing and safeguarding question papers does not lie with law enforcement agencies; it rests with the examination authorities,” he said, adding that the police could not be stationed everywhere to guard these locations.
Referring to previous incidents, he said that question papers had reportedly been leaked from places such as the BG Press and even a BPSC member’s room. The authorities responsible must ensure proper monitoring and address these vulnerabilities.
“If the very people entrusted with safeguarding the papers are involved, uncovering the truth becomes extremely difficult,” he said, noting that the problem lay at the root of the system and needed to be addressed.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Syed Ahmad Naim said that question paper leaks occurred because of a failure to discharge responsibilities properly. Such leaks undermined merit and qualifications, allowing candidates who did not deserve the jobs to gain an unfair advantage over qualified applicants, he said.
He said those responsible for preparing, handling and safeguarding question papers must be held accountable. Legal action should be taken against individuals involved in question paper leaks, and the law must be enforced effectively to ensure that those responsible are punished and to prevent such incidents.
He also stressed the importance of social accountability, saying that those proven to be involved in such incidents should face public condemnation and social disapproval alongside administrative and criminal consequences.
The reporter can be reached at [email protected]