Education Minister Milon's claim that the SSC 2026 question leak is 'just a rumour' is FALSE

What was claimed?

On 25 April 2026, Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon shared the press release of the National Citizen Party (NCP) on his verified Facebook page and wrote:

"It has already been undoubtedly proven that the alleged question-leak campaign is just a rumour. In such a context, the NCP — a political party born of youths from the '24 mass uprising — issuing this kind of statement on a baseless propaganda matter, without any fact-checking, is not only condemnable but profoundly disappointing."

Earlier, at a press conference at the International Mother Language Institute on 21 April 2026, the minister had said: "There is no chance of question leaks, and none has taken place. There has been no such discussion either."^[1]

However, an investigative report by Somoy Television and the on-record testimony of at least one examinee make clear that the leak did, in fact, occur.

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Verdict: FALSE — why?

The minister's claim that "the question-leak campaign is just a rumour" is contradicted by direct evidence:

1. On-record testimony in Somoy Television's report. Reporter Abdur Rashid Jibon (Somoy Sangbad, Rangpur) interviewed an SSC examinee who stated, on camera, that on 20 April 2026 at 11:24 PM, the Dinajpur Board Bangla 1st Paper question paper was posted free of charge on a Telegram channel — and the next day's actual exam paper "matched word-for-word, not a single deviation" (হুবহু কমন। একটাও এদিক ওদিক নাই).^[2]

2. A specific, verifiable financial transaction. The same student told Somoy TV he and his friends pooled funds and cashed-out BDT 10,800 to the syndicate to obtain the Bangla 2nd Paper questions. A specific, named monetary transaction is not consistent with a "rumour"-only framing.^[2]

3. The Telegram channel and its scope are documented. Somoy TV's screenshots show a Telegram channel named "সকল বোর্ড প্রশ্ন ২০২৬" ("All Board Questions 2026") with approximately 2,990 members, posting board-wise question papers for Dhaka, Barisal, Chattogram, Sylhet, Jashore, Dinajpur and Mymensingh boards.

4. An independent political party demanded an investigation. The NCP's Education and Research Cell issued a press release dated 25 April 2026 stating: "Through a report by the national broadcaster 'Somoy Television', we have learned that SSC-2026 question papers have been leaked online, unrestrained, by a syndicate of fraudsters."^[3] The NCP demanded a thorough investigation and exemplary punishment for those involved.

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Somoy TV has since removed the report

After the NCP statement and the government's "no leak" denial, Somoy Television removed the investigative report from its official Facebook page. Clicking the original post now returns a Facebook error: "This isn't available — This content can only be seen by certain people or it may have been removed."

A cached copy of the original post is still accessible. It clearly shows that somoynews.tv (verified account) published the report with the hashtags #ssc2026 #questionleak #education #dinajpurboard #somoytv and the caption "১০-১২ হাজারে বিক্রি হচ্ছে এসএসসির প্রশ্নপত্র!" ("SSC question papers being sold for 10-12 thousand taka!"). FactCheckerLab has preserved the original video file and independently verified the student's testimony in it.

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The government's counter-position — and its limits

The government, police and education board offered the following arguments:

These statements do not specifically refute the Somoy TV student's documented claim — that the free Bangla 1st Paper question posted at 11:24 PM on 20 April for the Dinajpur Board exactly matched the next day's exam. The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit's arrests targeted a fraud ring operating a Facebook page; that does not establish that the separate Telegram channel ("সকল বোর্ড প্রশ্ন ২০২৬") documented by Somoy Television was also fake.

The BNP-led government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman assumed office on 17 February 2026 following the 2026 general election. The simultaneous removal of a significant investigative report from a major broadcaster's own platform — alongside categorical government denials — raises legitimate questions about press independence under the new administration.

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Conclusion

The publicly available, verifiable journalistic evidence — Somoy Television's investigative report, the examinee's on-camera testimony, the specific financial transaction, the screenshots of the Telegram channel, and the NCP's independent response — all support the conclusion that an SSC 2026 question paper leak did occur. Education Minister A.N.M. Ehsanul Hoque Milon's claim that the leak campaign is "just a rumour" is therefore FALSE.

By dismissing the matter as a rumour rather than ordering a thorough investigation and identifying the perpetrators, the government risks deeper damage to the credibility of the national examination system.

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Sources

^[1] Bangladesh Pratidin — "No question leak, SSC exams held smoothly: Education Minister" (21 April 2026) ^[2] Somoy TV — "১০-১২ হাজারে বিক্রি হচ্ছে এসএসসির প্রশ্নপত্র!" (Reporter: Abdur Rashid Jibon, Rangpur) ^[3] Times of Bangladesh — "SSC question leak: NCP voices concern, demands probe" (25 April 2026) ^[4] The Daily Star — "Fake SSC question paper leak racket busted; four arrested" (25 April 2026) ^[5] Dhaka Tribune — "CTTC: Four arrested over fake SSC question paper" (25 April 2026) ^[6] BSS — "Dhaka Education Board dismisses SSC question leak rumours" (25 April 2026)