Itanagar: The Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee (PAJSC) has accused the state government of not being serious about fulfilling the 13 demands placed by the committee.
The PAJSC has been spearheading the movement against the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) question paper leak scam.
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Addressing a press conference at Arunachal Press Club on Friday, PAJSC vice chairman Tadak Nalo said the committee had high expectations from the government, particularly Chief Minister Pema Khandu, that their demands would be fulfilled.
“On 18 February, we were sold hope in a piece of paper called ‘minutes of meeting’, wherein all the 13 demands were addressed. The CM had personally assured us that all the demands would be fulfilled slowly. We do agree on the initiative the government has taken with regard to certain demands, and this we appreciate. But the majority of demands have not been fulfilled till now. We feel betrayed as we had kept our faith in the government,” said Nalo.
He alleged that the government only gave written assurance and no demands have been fulfilled.
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“Six months have passed since that 18 February meeting. Instead of fulfilling our demands, the government went on a witch hunt against PAJSC and all people who supported our movement. Is this how you treat the people who are fighting against corruption? We have been treated like criminals, which is unfair. We are still waiting for the government to fulfill our demands and we are hopeful that it will,” he added.
The PAJSC has demanded a high-level inquiry headed by a retired judge of the SC/HC (court-monitored probe) for parallel investigations from 2014 to 2022. However, the government has not initiated any action yet, the committee alleged.
The PAJSC also alleged that the government has “taken a half-hearted step” with regard to the demand for immediate constitution of a fast-track court for prosecution of the accused involved in the scam.
The Gauhati High Court on the recommendation of the state government designated the district and sessions court Yupia as the special fast-track court to try APPSC paper leak cases.
However, the PAJSC said that the court is already overburdened by various cases and hence, designating the same court as the special fast-track court to try APPSC leakage cases is a questionable initiative.
The PAJSC urged the government to write again to the Gauhati High Court to change the designated court to some other court within Itanagar, instead of the district and sessions court Yupia, with respective judges specifically for the trial of APPSC paper leak cases.
The committee also demanded that the government immediately release the funds that have been allocated for the rehabilitation of the victims of the scam.
The PAJSC said that it will continue to fight against corruption and will not rest until all the demands are fulfilled.