WHATEVER HAPPENED IS WRONG: CM APPSCCE question paper leakage case Rigam Raju ITANAGAR, SEPT 23: In their second move, the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Combined Competitive Exam (MAINS) 2013-14 (APPSCCE) candidates have driven their fight to the Chief Ministers Residential office in the city today. Protest started from Indira Gandhi Park in the morning, with slogans, shouts and calls for Justice and Corruption free in the system. The candidates were first denied to meet the head of the Government but, with their persistent demand, the magistrate who was on official duty to take care of the situation finally spoke to the authorities over the phone for access. It took them a long time to receive a nod from the chief minister’s office to be permitted inside. After more than an hour talk inside the CM’s residential office, the eight selected persons from among the candidates brought out a response that wasn’t cheerful. The CM through the eight members channel has agreed on certain points, like re-set the whole exam and to ask the commission to release the rest of the question papers, if at all, a similar case is happening with them. With regard to suspension of the board members, the CM has assured that he will talk to the advocate general since it connects to legal protocol. The CM asked the candidates to support inputs and evidence towards the magisterial enquiry in order to build a concrete report for the investigation. He has also assured to talk to the experts to constitute an interim commission to conduct the exam in a fresh manner. “The CM was supportive and admitted that whatever has happened is wrong,” the candidates said. It may be noted that the candidates has formed a Consultative Committee consisting of 11 core members just after the first protest held last Tuesday (16th September). This is the committee that drafted the freshly charter of demand with the candidates consent to place before the Chief Minister. Their main demands during the first protest were immediate cancellation of the ongoing APPSCCE (MAINS) 2013-14, immediate initiation of investigation on the cited matter, immediate removal of the present members of the commission and re-conduct the APPSCCE (MAINS) 2013-14 with afresh set of papers within a reasonable time. The state government after receiving the written complaint of the candidates forwarded from the Governor office, has instituted a magisterial enquiry (into the allegations of the leakage of general studies question paper), headed by Hento Karga, EAC, Naharlagun. The tenure for the enquiry to compile and submit its report to the Government is two weeks. The candidates however, demand for a Judicial Enquiry committee headed by a sitting judge of the High Court to conduct the investigation. “We nullify the Magisterial Enquiry Committee” the banner stated. Their fresh demand includes immediate suspension of board members and officials concerned, re-conduct of whole exam under UPSC or interim committee within a reasonable time. Meanwhile, General Secretary of the All Arunachal Pradesh Student Union (AAPSU) Biru Nasi exhorted the candidates to stand united and to continue to fight on. Students from Don Bosco College Jollang, Rajiv Gandhi University and few from NERIST attended the protest march.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:27:01 +0000