Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday categorically said that no one involved in the Staff Selection Board (SSB) malpractices will be spared and the guilty will be punished as per relevant rules and law.
Khandu’s statement comes days after a suspicious optical mark recognition (OMR) sheet, bearing roll number 2025546, was widely circulated on social media and for which the APSSB has been drawing flak from all quarters.
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As per the results of the exams —which were published on the board’s website on Friday, the candidate with roll number 2025546 has been shortlisted for the skill test.
However, if one goes through the yet-to-be-verified OMR sheet, it suggests that the candidate had left the answer sheet blank.
Speaking at a workshop on Pre-Panchayat Election Awareness Campaign here, the chief minister expressed surprise on the ‘audacity’ of those involved despite his repeated warnings against corruption.
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“For the last three years I have been repeating – on every available platform – that corruption in any form will not be tolerated and those found guilty, irrespective of power and position, will not be spared. I am literally surprised that despite the repeated warnings people still have the courage to corrupt,” he said.
Khandu said that SSB was constituted to provide transparent, fair and equal playing ground for the unemployed youths of the state to join government jobs at the lower levels.
He said SSB was his vision to root out corruption in recruitment of lower level jobs, which was prevalent when recruitments were done independently by the departments.
“It breaks my heart to see my vision being shattered by few individuals. I reiterate nobody found involved – be it anybody – will be spared,” he reiterated.
The chief minister informed that the government has taken suo-moto cognizance of the fiasco and immediately registered a case under relevant sections and handed it over to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC).
“Within a day of investigation, SIC has got several leads and I assure to the people of Arunachal Pradesh that soon the guilty will be in the dragnet of law,” he revealed.
He regretted that despite wholehearted efforts ‘leakages’ are still happening in the system and urged government employees to change the system from within.