Ballia (UP), Mar 31 (IANS): Seven more persons, including two local journalists, were arrested on Thursday in connection with the leak of the intermediate English paper of the Uttar Pradesh school board.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rasra) Shiv Narayan Vyas said seven more people were arrested in connection with the case by Nagara police.

Those arrested include two local scribes -- Digvijay Singh and Manoj Gupta, he said.

The officer said that altogether 24 people have so far been arrested in connection with the incident.

The examination was cancelled in 24 districts on Wednesday after the paper was leaked and chief minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered stringent action, including invoking the National Security Act against the accused.

The exam will now be held on April 13, an official statement said.

Police had lodged three separate FIRs in Ballia City Kotwali, Nagara and Sikandarpur police stations on Wednesday in this regard.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar had said the Ballia district magistrate and SP got information on Wednesday morning that the second shift paper had been leaked.

On Wednesday, two of the accused were arrested from Ballia's Kotwali police station area, 10 from Nagra and five from Sikandarpur.

The Ballia Director Inspector of Schools, Brajesh Kumar Mishra is among those arrested.

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police is probing the case.