Srinagar, Jan 30: In a major embarrassment for senior Congress leader and Education Minister Peerzada Sayeed, a local newspaper Monday carried the facsimile of an answer sheet in two handwritings alleging that part of it had been written by an education official to help his son pass the secondary school exam in 2009.

A front page story in the widely circulated 'Greater Kashmir' newspaper carried the facsimile of the answer sheet with the roll number 228211.

The newspaper story alleges that an official of the education department posted on exam duty had written part of the student's Urdu exam paper in order to help him pass the exam.

A complaint lodged by another teacher posted on duty at the centre was received by the authorities of the Jammu and Kashmir board of school examinations, but despite recommendations to withhold the result of the candidate, the authorities went ahead announcing that the candidate had passed the exam.

The expose could endanger the minister's continuation in the state cabinet.

It may be recalled that another senior Congress leader G.M. Saroor had to resign from the state cabinet in 2010 following media reports that his daughter had passed a medical college entrance exam by arranging a proxy candidate to write the papers.