The controversy intensified after the Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested five individuals in connection with alleged tampering of OMR sheets in recruitment exams held in 2018. Investigators claim the accused secured government jobs for at least 38 candidates by manipulating answer sheets in multiple examinations, including Agriculture Supervisor and Anganwadi Women Supervisor posts. Police have seized ₹60 lakh in cash and several documents during the probe.

The issue has gained renewed traction amid unusually high cut-off marks in recent Grade IV recruitment examinations, prompting concerns among candidates and sparking allegations of irregularities.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday sought clarification from the Bhajanlal Sharma-led government, asking whether OMR sheets were manipulated in recruitment exams conducted in 2024 and 2025. In a post on X, Gehlot said he had raised the issue based on feedback from candidates and stressed that his concerns were in the interest of the youth, not personal allegations against the chief minister.

Gehlot urged the government to invoke the stringent anti-cheating law enacted during his tenure if wrongdoing was established, noting that the legislation provides for life imprisonment, hefty fines, and confiscation of property.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma responded sharply, questioning how OMR manipulation could have occurred in exams held in 2019 without the knowledge of the then Congress government. Addressing a public gathering in Sirohi, Sharma accused the previous regime of negligence and suggested that senior officials were aware of irregularities.

Senior BJP leader Rajendra Rathore further blamed the Congress for alleged paper leaks, claiming that question papers of 19 major recruitment exams were compromised between 2018 and 2023. He described Gehlot’s remarks as an implicit admission of scams during Congress rule.

Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra countered the allegations, citing SOG findings that suggested OMR manipulation had continued for nearly nine years. He questioned why systemic reforms were not implemented after the BJP came to power.

Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena also weighed in, alleging that evidence of recruitment fraud during the Congress regime was ignored and claiming that “big names” would soon be exposed.

Amid the political sparring, the RSSB announced that it would upload OMR sheets online to enhance transparency, beginning with the ongoing Grade IV recruitment process. Officials said the move aims to restore public trust and prevent future manipulation.