Staff Reporter
PANGIN, Apr 16: The Siang district unit of the Arunachal Pradesh Police on Monday dismissed allegations of paper leakage in the UDC, LDC and MTS examinations which were conducted in the district in August-September 2017.
The police have also arrested three persons in this connection.
A preliminary investigation report by the investigating officer revealed that one of the arrested, Omoty Karpuk, a JT (SSA) presently posted at the government higher secondary school (GHSS), Boleng, was one of the invigilators at GHSS, Pangin, during the examinations.
According to the statement provided to the police, Karpuk had kept a copy of the question paper of UDC examination after completion of the written examination of UDC on 19 August, 2017.
She claimed that she kept one of the used question papers in hopes that it would assist her daughter in studying for her MTS examination, which was next.
The question paper was then taken from her house by Kamin Megu, a teacher presently posted at KGVB, Motum (in Mebo subdivision of East Siang district), who was one of the candidates in the examination.
Megu then further shared it with Kaling Taki, an office staffer at the Horticulture College of Pasighat, who had also appeared in the examination. Taki had also taken photographs of a boy holding the question paper, which were widely circulated on the social media and assumed to be leaked.
Taki claims that Daniel Eko, one of the accused, and allegedly a member of the Siang District Students’ Union (SDSU), had forced him (Taki) to hand over the paper to him (Eko).
Eko further shared it with an advocate, Takiang Pabin, and filed a petition in the High Court against the ongoing recruitment process.
The investigating officer affirmed that there was no leakage of paper as alleged, and that a charge sheet would soon be filed against the arrested for further action.
Speaking to this daily, Siang Deputy Commissioner Rahul Singh said, “Some organisations had attempted to defame the entire district administration by creating this story of leakage of question paper, when the reality is known to everyone. An exchange of question paper did occur after the examination, but it was not a leakage, as has been proven.”
He informed that the short-listed candidates had gone to court against Eko’s petition, and managed to get a stay on the High Court order.
The declaration of viva-voce results for MTS and viva-voce interview for UDC and LDC have been deferred until the next hearing, scheduled for 24 April.
Twenty-four candidates have qualified for the LDC viva-voce, and 37 have qualified for the UDC viva-voce.
A written examination for recruitment of UDC, LDC and MTS, and a subsequent computer test for UDC, LDC and viva-voce for MTS, were conducted last year during August-September.
In the course of the recruitment process, allegations were made claiming leakage of question paper of the UDC exam, and certain photographs were uploaded and circulated on social media forums.
To unearth the facts, an FIR against unknown individuals was lodged by the Siang deputy commissioner on 6 October, 2017.
The Siang District Student’s Union had also threatened to launch an indefinite bandh in the district from 8 September, 2017, demanding fresh examinations, immediate removal of the DC, and thorough investigation into the entire recruitment process.
However, the bandh was called off following a meeting between the DC, members of the SDSU, senior citizens, and panchayat members.
