[ Amar Sangno ]
ITANAGAR, 19 Feb: A pall of gloom has descended upon the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) officers, following the state government’s handing over to the APPSC the responsibility of declaring null and void the APPSC exams from 2014-2022 in which malpractices are found.
In an official statement issued eight hours after a long discussion with the members of the Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee (PAJSC) over its 13 demands on Saturday, the state government informed that the “null and void matter has been sent to the APPSC, which is the competent authority to decide.”
The government has thus thrown the ball into the commission’s court to decide the fate of 966 officers who have cracked the scam-ridden APPSCCE since 2014. The decision has sent shockwaves among the officers and put their future in limbo.
PAJSC members and the public virtually seized the state capital and forced Chief Minister Pema Khandu to accept their 13-point charter of demands after a 24-hour deadlock marked by violence in and around the Itanagar Capital Region. Their demands include “declaring null and void any examination since 2014 in which malpractices were found.”
Sources informed The Arunachal Times that the affected officers posted across the state are reportedly grouping up in Itanagar to discuss the legalities to defend themselves.
“If the government has truly succumbed to the ‘null and void’ demand of the PAJSC, it is totally unacceptable and we will definitely find our own ways to seek justice” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
“It is wrong to do injustice to someone in the name of giving justice to another,” he added.
It is learnt that the distressed officers have formed a committee to fight against the government decision.
