Despite demands to hold fresh examination for recruitment in Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), Assam power minister Topon Kumar Gogoi on Tuesday said there is no question of holding fresh examinations.
Minister Gogoi refuted the allegations of leakage of question papers ahead of the examination.
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A total of 2.35 lakh applicants appeared in a written examination held on Sunday across 669 examination centres in the state.
The examination was held for recruitment in 1,957 posts of different categories under the state-run APDCL and its subsidiary companies.
Also read: Assam: APDCL recruitment exam creates furore in Nagaon; examinee in police net
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“There is no leakage of question papers ahead of the examination. So, there is no question of holding the examinations afresh. There are reports that eight applicants in six of the examination centres leaked the question papers after the examination started. We have already arrested them and hence there is no question of any probe,” said the minister.
The APDCL conducted the examination with the help of an organization based in Mumbai.
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There were, however, allegations of leakage of question papers before the examinations and that huge amount of money have been accepted as bribes to sell the jobs.
“There was no leakage of question papers before the exam. We have been very strict in holding the exam this time. None of the applicants were allowed to carry mobile inside the exam halls. However, eight applicants in six centres took mobile phones inside the halls and circulated the question paper through WhatsApp,” said Gogoi.
“We have arrested the eight applicants who had circulated the question papers and instructions have also been given to arrest those to whom they had sent the question papers through WhatsApp. One invigilator of one of the centres who was also found to have helping these applicants was also arrested,” he said.
The power minister further added that question of bribe in the examination has been raised and that those who genuinely qualify the examination will get the jobs.
It may be mentioned here that this is the fourth such examination held by the BJP-led government in Assam since 2016 that was marred by allegation of corruption and malpractices.
Earlier, recruitment drives of Assam Forest department, Panchayat and Rural Development department and Directorate of Information and Public Relations department were marred by allegations of corruptions and malpractices.