The controversy over the recruitment examination conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, deepened on Friday with the Punjab Students Union (PSU) rejecting the university’s version of events and alleging that the entire question paper had been leaked before the test.While police and university authorities have maintained that the breach was limited to a section of candidates who used Bluetooth micro-devices and earpieces supplied by an organised racket, PSU leaders and allied student and youth organisations claimed the question paper itself was compromised and sold in advance. They alleged it was sold for amounts ranging between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 13 lakh per candidate.PSU, along with several students, youth and employee organisations, said protests already under way outside the university campus will culminate in a state-level demonstration on August 4. They said the protest is aimed at pressing for transparency and accountability in the matter.The protesting groups demanded the resignation of Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh. They held the ministers responsible for what they called a serious security lapse in safeguarding a public recruitment examination.Opposition parties also targeted the state government over the episode. They demanded immediate cancellation of the test, a judicial inquiry by an independent authority, and a fresh examination for all affected candidates.University management and local police, however, denied that the question paper had been leaked. Investigators said the malpractice involved real-time transmission of answers through hidden electronic earpieces after the examination had commenced at multiple centres, rather than a prior leak of the paper.Police have so far arrested more than 28 candidates and several alleged handlers of the racket. They have also seized micro-Bluetooth devices, pen cameras and mobile phones linked to the network. Protesting students and unions, however, insisted that unless the examination was scrapped in its entirety, genuine aspirants would be denied a fair chance at recruitment.