A statewide recruitment examination for 597 posts of sub-inspectors in Assam police on Sunday afternoon had to be cancelled following the leak of the question paper on WhatsApp, affecting over 66,000 candidates.

The state-level police recruitment board (SLPRB), Assam, which conducted the examination, promptly lodged a case with the criminal investigation department following the cancellation.

The paper was of three-hour duration, from 12 noon to 3pm, held across the state.

Pradeep Kumar, chairman, SLPRB, told The Telegraph that they came to know about the circulation of the question paper for the written test on WhatsApp “twelve minutes before the 12-noon start” and after discussion with the state DGP, IGP (Special Branch) and chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal who is in Delhi.

The decision of cancelling the exam reached the examination centres between 12.45pm and 1 pm, candidates who took the test said.

The SLPRB is under the home department which is headed by the chief minister.

“We came to know about the leak from a person in Guwahati. Inquiries revealed the WhatsApp message was sent to him from a person in Golaghat who had received the message from Karbi Anglong. When the chief minister was apprised, he said fairness of the examination has to be ensured at all cost and as such the examination was promptly cancelled. We will announce a fresh date within a month,” Kumar said.

Nobody has been arrested till the time of filing the report.

The chief minister’s office in a statement said that Sonowal has directed DGP Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta to expeditiously conduct the inquiry into the leak to nab the culprits.

The cancellation left the candidates disappointed.