'Thanks Rituja, Thanks Gaurav.' Posters at a protest over the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Drug Inspector paper leak in Nagpur thanked the ex-lovers, whose break-up brought the alleged exam scam to the fore.
Aspirants across Maharashtra have taken to the streets, demanding strict action against those behind the paper leak and calling for the resignation of MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar and Secretary Mahendra Harpalkar. The students are also seeking an independent inquiry into all examinations held since 2022
During a protest at Nagpur's Samvidhan Chowk, what stood out were some of the posters thanking Rituja and Gaurav, the former couple whose breakup is said to have exposed MPSC drug inspector paper leak.
Protesting students claim that the full truth behind exam irregularities might never have come to light had a couple named 'Rutuja' and 'Gaurav' not broken up.
How Paper Leak Was Exposed
Candidate Rituja Patil's father, Amrit Patil, had bought the question paper from Praveen Patil - a coaching institute operator from Nandurbar - for his daughterInvestigators found that an initial transaction of Rs 5 lakh took place between Praveen Patil and certain MPSC officials, while the total amount involved was estimated at around Rs 12 lakh.
Rituja then shared the question paper with her now-former boyfriend, Gaurav Patil.
While Rituja cleared the March 22 examination, Gaurav failed. This led to tension between the couple, and they eventually broke up.
Fearing that Rituja would move on after securing a government job, Gaurav filed a complaint about the paper leak with the MPSC via email. He later attempted to withdraw his complaint, but an investigation had already begun.
According to the protesters, several chats, call recordings and crucial details linked to the leak were released, courtesy of the break-up. That is why they are thanking the couple in a sarcastic way.
Drug Inspector Recruitment Process Suspended
The offline screening examination was conducted on March 22 at six divisional headquarters across Maharashtra. The results were declared on June 12, with 506 candidates qualifying for interviews. Of these, 488 candidates reportedly appeared for interviews conducted between July 1 and July 22.
Between July 22 and July 26, MPSC received complaints alleging that the question paper had been obtained by some candidates two days before the test and circulated through social media and electronic platforms.
Following this, the MPSC cancelled the recruitment process for Drug Inspector, Group-B posts under the Food and Drug Administration Department.
(With inputs from Praveen Mudholkar)
