SSC paper leak case: Pre-planned and evil designed conspiracy by Bandi Sanjay, accused No.1

The Hanamkonda question paper leak case took a major turn on Wednesday, with the police arresting Bharatiya Janata Party State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, arraigning him as the prime accused in what it said was a case of ‘pre-planned and evil designed conspiracy’ for malpractice in the SSC Public Examination with an ‘intention to create rumours, provoke breach of peace and to defame the State government’.

The case, which saw three persons, including a minor, being apprehended on charges of taking a photograph of the SSC Hindi question paper and circulating it in WhatsApp groups on Tuesday, took a major turn after midnight when the Karimnagar Two-Town police took Sanjay into preventive custody from his in-laws’ residence at Jyothinagar. With his supporters trying to forcibly pull Sanjay back from the police, there was a minor scuffle, but by 12.45 am, the police took him away to the Bommala Ramaram police station in Yadadri-Bhongir.

Amidst tight security, police later shifted Sanjay to Pembarthi, where he was handed over to the Warangal police even as BJP supporters tried to stop the police convoy.

The Kamalapur Police, who have registered the FIR (No.60/2023) in connection with the question paper case, then placed Sanjay under arrest, arraigning him as Accused No 1 and charging him under IPC Sections 120 (B) (conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 447 (criminal trespass) and 505 (1) (b) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public).

Booram Prashanth, former journalist and currently working for BJP front organization NaMo, was second accused, while G Mahesh and M Shiva Ganesh were the third and fifth accused. The arrested persons, apart from the 16-year-old minor, were produced before court, after which Sanjay and the other accused were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and shifted to the Karimnagar jail.

Five other accused, P Subash (41), another 16-year-old minor, Dhoolam Srikanth (18), Perumandla Shramik (20) and P Varsith (19), were absconding.

According to Warangal Police Commissioner AV Ranganath, the



investigation so far had established that Sanjay had given directions to Prashanth to ‘exploit’ the situation that emerged after the Telugu question paper leak on Monday, stating that it would happen also on Tuesday, with the plan being to circulate the same in social media and defame the State government, showing it as the failure of the government.

They discussed this in a chat with Manoj, a BJP worker and students in Kamlapur as well, asking them to go to examination centres and obtain photos of the question paper on their cell phones and share them in different WhatsApp groups to circulate and create fear among students and parents. It was as per this plan of Sanjay that Prashanth and Mahesh entrusted the other accused persons to go to the ZPHS Boys Kamlapur. They, including the 16-year-old minor, then trespassed into the school scaling the compound wall and from the first floor room, took a photo of the question paper from another candidate at 9.45 am.

From there, the minor sent it to Shiva Ganesh, who forwarded it to SSC WhatsApp groups. One group member sent it to Mahesh, who forwarded it to Prashanth, who then prepared a ‘breaking news’ item, twisting facts saying that the question paper was leaked at 9.30 am. That message was sent to several people from 10.41 am onwards, including Etala Rajender and Sanjay apart from media persons. Prashanth also spoke to 149 persons about the message.

Ranganath, who said Prashanth was working as social media advisor to Sanjay, said he had talked with the BJP chief with several times regarding copying question papers from exam halls and sharing it in social media groups to defame the government. Efforts were also on to get Sanjay’s phone, with the MP refusing to hand over his mobile phone and even claiming that he did not have a phone.

Ranganath, who said the Police had informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about the arrest, also brushed aside criticism over the arrest without a warrant. He made it clear that the police could arrest an accused following the procedure mentioned in Section 41 of the CrPC without warrant.