LATEST
3 killed in Houthi claimed attacks on Riyadh airport Early winter vegetables start arriving with soaring prices Stronger internal audit to protect public money, improve service delivery World Post Day observed with focus on integrated postal network Unplanned urbanisation turns Dhaka into heat island Farmers fear losses over banana prices crash Jamaat seeks proof after DNCC chief’s auto-rickshaws remark Limited facilities fuel mental-health crisis ‘Bangladesh can’t shoulder burden of 1.2m Rohingyas alone’ PM calls for action against mental health stigma
Skip to content

Sunday | October 11, 2026 | Dhaka

Exam reset for 16 Oct over leak allegations

Job seekers block major Dhaka roads in protest; five-member probe committee formed
 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 11 October 2026  Updated: 11:35 PM, 10 October 2026

The Department of Youth Development (DYD) has rescheduled the recruitment test for assistant upazila youth development officers for 16 October, after suspending it just before it began on Saturday following allegations of a question paper leak.

In a press release issued on Saturday, the department said the examination, scheduled for 11am, was postponed after reports that the question paper had circulated on various social media platforms before the test. The new date is provisionally set for 3pm on 16 October, and candidates will be informed by SMS.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has formed a five-member committee, headed by an additional secretary, to investigate the allegations. HM Mizanur Rahman, additional secretary of the ministry, is its convener.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within three working days.

The press release said disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible once the report is received. DYD Director General Md Motaher Hossain told the media that the decision to suspend the test was taken about an hour before it was due to start, to uphold transparency, protect the credibility of the recruitment process and avoid substantial financial waste.

“The current government believes in transparency. We do not want to publish the results of any examination amid controversy,” he said. “It is not appropriate to publish the results of an examination amid controversy.”

He said the department learned that question papers had circulated on social media after being delivered to the examination centres. The investigation panel, he added, will identify those involved in the leak, and legal action will be taken against them.

The department urged candidates to remain patient and calm. It said the exam will be held with a new question paper, subject to the availability of examination centres, and that candidates will receive the new date through SMS and an official notice within the next two to three days.

A total of 3,19,000 candidates were expected to sit the exam for 242 posts at 95 centres across Dhaka. The posts are of 11th grade.
Earlier, job seekers staged protests and blocked major roads in the capital on Saturday, including the Shahbagh intersection. Candidates said officials had already distributed question papers at some centres before the exam was suspended.

Protesters also blocked Manik Mia Avenue, Sat Masjid Road, the Nilkhet intersection, and roads near Bangla College and Khilgaon, disrupting traffic. They chanted slogans demanding answers over the alleged leak.