Editor,
The Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), once seen as the gateway of opportunity for thousands of young aspirants, has today become a symbol of broken trust, repeated mismanagement, and the wasted years of the state’s youths. The troubles began as far back as the 2017-18 examination cycle.
During the assistant engineer (AE) examination of 2021-22, candidates who had already cleared the preliminary stage and appeared for the mains later discovered that the exam papers were leaked. This not only forced the cancellation of the examination but also shattered the trust of aspirants once again.
Years later, in July 2025, the AE examination was conducted afresh. But by then, the syllabus and exam pattern had been suddenly changed, leaving candidates with limited time to reorient their preparation. Despite these setbacks, many aspirants, including myself, persevered. I cleared the preliminary stage once more and prepared intensively for the mains, only to face another cycle of postponements, sudden notifications, and revised lists. Incredibly, the APPSC once again published a second set of preliminary results, throwing thousands into confusion. Now, the mains examination has been postponed yet again, leaving the entire process hanging in uncertainty.
This endless cycle of leaks, delays, anomalies, and rescheduling has devastated aspirants. Careers and futures are being gambled away – not because of lack of merit or effort but due to administrative incompetence and a complete lack of accountability.
The former chairman Nicpo Nabam and Taket Jerang, along with the Pema Khandu government, turned the APPSC into what many candidates bitterly call ‘APPSC chor bazar (thief market)’. Worse still, the same Pema Khandu government went on to appoint yet another incapable chairman, proving once again its failure to ensure fair and competent leadership in such a crucial institution. Today, even with a new chairman in place, the commission shows no signs of far-sightedness or fairness. Instead, it continues to operate in a way that undermines the aspirations of hardworking youths.
For the candidates, the loss is more than just academic. It is the loss of precious years of youth, the emotional toll of constant uncertainty, and the shattered trust in institutions that were meant to uphold fairness and transparency. Whether or not I ultimately pass the AE examination, I cannot bring myself to trust the APPSC anymore.
This is not just a personal grievance – it is the collective pain of thousands of aspirants whose time, energy, and hopes have been wasted. In my case, I have already lost five valuable years waiting for this exam process to reach its conclusion, but the AE examination still seems to have no end in sight.
The question remains: How many more years of our lives must be sacrificed before the APPSC restores trust and delivers justice? And even more importantly, who will compensate us for our wasted years and lost opportunities? If accountability continues to be absent, the aspirants may be left with no choice but to file lawsuits against the commission and the government for the irreparable damage caused to our careers and futures.
Frustrated aspirant