The state government is yet to make public the report of the high-level inquiry committee, comprising Principal Resident Commissioner (Delhi) Jitendra Narain and Home Commissioner Kaling Tayeng, which was constituted by the government to inquire into the alleged malpractices in the LDC/JSA examination conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB). The committee had already submitted a report to the state government. The role of senior IAS officers, including the then secretary SK Jain and APSSB chairman AC Verma, was reportedly investigated.
Till now the special investigation cell (SIC) has arrested 18 people, including the now suspended undersecretary Kapter Ringu, for their role in the scam. The Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) Aspirants’ Interim Committee for Justice and Reformation (ICJR), which has been demanding that the government investigate the role of the then secretary and chairman, has now served a seven-day ultimatum to the state government to furnish the report of the two member high-level inquiry committee to the public. The way the state government is reluctant to make the report public, it seems as if it were trying to protect the big fish. No doubt the SIC deserves appreciation for thoroughly investigating the case and arresting many people involved in it. However, despite calls from various pressure groups, the state government’s continued attempt to hush up the report of the two-member inquiry committee is deeply worrying. The lack of transparency raises a serious question mark over integrity of the state government. One can only hope that there is no tampering of the inquiry report in order to protect a few.