Mobile internet services were shut down in 24 of the 35 districts in Assam from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm for two rounds of tests for recruitment in government posts
The Assam government on Sunday shut down mobile internet services for 4 hours in 24 of the 35 districts in the state in order to prevent cheating or leakage of question papers while conducting written tests for recruitment in government posts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the state is conducting recruitment process for nearly 30,000 Grade III and Grade IV jobs in various government departments in which over 1.4 million candidates are expected to take part.
On Sunday, over 500,000 candidates appeared for written tests to Grade III posts in 48 government departments. The tests were conducted in 1,036 centres. Mobile internet services were shut down from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4pm for two rounds of tests. District administrations also imposed Section 144 of CrPC in all districts where the exams were conducted.
Similar measures will be adopted on August 28 when written tests for Grade IV jobs will be conducted. The state government will conduct another round of tests for post of drivers on September 11, but no special measure has been announced for it yet.
“I would like to apologise to the public for the inconvenience. But while mobile internet will be closed, wired internet will be available. It is important that we take this measure because if anyone sends out the question paper on WhatsApp during the exam, there will be a lot of hue and cry and we don’t want to take any risk,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said earlier this week.
On Sunday, a sub-inspector level police officer was deployed in each examination centre who was assisted by other police personnel. The candidates along with the invigilators were barred from carrying mobile phones or any other electronic gadgets into the exam centres.
In the past years, there have been instances of scams during recruitment drives including for posts in state civil services and police department with instances of papers getting leaked ahead of the exams.
“It is crucial to reiterate the disproportionate nature of this measure and its impact on right to speech, right to livelihood, rights to information, education and health,” Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi wrote in a letter to chief minister Sarma, urging the government not to take such “anti-people” measures.
In Silchar of Cachar district, principal of a college was arrested on Sunday for alleged negligence in conducting the state government recruitment exam. There is allegation that he also misbehaved with government officials.
Siddharta Shankar Nath, principal of Cachar College, was arrested following a first information report (FIR) lodged by deputy commissioner of the district, Rohan Kumar Jha.
(With input by Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha in Silchar)
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