'Not A Single Paper Leak Case In Punjab': CM Mann Defends State Education Minister, Rejects Resignation Demand

Published 26 July 2026 · politics

'Not A Single Paper Leak Case In Punjab': CM Mann Defends State Education Minister, Rejects Resignation Demand Published By, Last Updated: July 26, 2026, 17:16

'Not A Single Paper Leak Case In Punjab': CM Mann Defends State Education Minister, Rejects Resignation Demand Published By, Last Updated: July 26, 2026, 17:16 IST After actor Shweta Tiwari took a swipe at protesters over why they were not calling for resignation of Punjab's Education Minister over Pharmacy Exam cheating, CM Mann has reacted. Rapid Read Bhagwant Mann has responded to the calls for his Education Minister's resignation. (Representational image) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has reacted to calls for the resignation of his colleague and Education Minister of the state, Harjot Singh Bains, over the alleged cheating scandal in the high-tech pharmacy examination. He has claimed that since his government assumed power in Punjab, no paper leak has happened. “It has been 4.5 years since the government was formed. Not a single paper has leaked in Punjab. We had received reports of cheating from two places," he asserted while speaking to reporters in Mohali, a video posted by ANI showed. He further explained what transpired during the pharmacy exam. “We had received reports of cheating from two places. They were scanning the papers digitally with a Bluetooth pen and sending them out.

They were getting the answers they wanted from outside. 10 minutes after the paper started, the students inside who were cheating were also caught and those who were getting the papers done from outside, who were charging Rs 3-5 lakhs for a paper, they were also caught and put in jail," he said, before adding that 21 people have been arrested already. BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan had resigned as the Education Minister yesterday over the NEET-UG paper leak and the subsequent students’ movement. Two days before that Punjab’s Education Minister had offered his resignation too. Following Pradhan’s resignation, actor Shweta Tiwari had taken a swipe at the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). She asked when will the new outfit target Punjab over its exam cheating scandal. The Punjab Pharmacy Exam scam surfaced on 19 July 2026 during the Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Examination conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). Unlike conventional paper leaks, the breach took place in real time during the exam. How The Cheating Network Worked At centres in Faridkot, Kotkapura and Ferozepur, selected candidates allegedly used spy pens with micro-cameras to capture question papers minutes after the test began and send them out via WhatsApp.

The images were routed to handlers outside, including a control room in Faridkot reportedly run by Gurmeet Singh. The questions were then solved by associates in locations such as Bhiwani, Haryana. Answers were relayed back to candidates through concealed calls and tiny Bluetooth earpieces hidden in clothing or accessories, enabling real-time assistance inside exam halls. Punjab Police and BFUHS flying squads detected the activity and detained 35 people, including organisers and candidates. Officials recovered wireless devices, spy pens, SIM cards and financial documents, including post-dated cheques ranging from ₹3.5 lakh to ₹13 lakh. Opposition parties called it a systemic failure and demanded resignations, while the AAP government said the case showed that authorities were able to detect and stop cheating in real time. Bains maintained it was a case of high-tech malpractice, not an institutional leak, and said: “If my resignation can improve the education system, I am ready anytime." Opposition leaders also sought the resignation of Health and Medical Education Minister Dr Balbir Singh over alleged irregularities in recruitment. Row Over Shweta Tiwari’s Remarks The issue widened after Shweta Tiwari reshared a video of CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke and questioned the absence of protests in Punjab, sparking a debate over selective outrage.