Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 5 Dec: The Special Investigation Cell of the state police has arrested assistant engineers (AE) Goy Ketan and Golly Ketan in connection with the question paper leakage in the APPSCCE-2017 and other examinations.
The arrestees, who are brothers, are the sons of a retired chief engineer. Golly was working as an AE in the PWD in Anini, while Goy was working as an AE in the urban development & housing department.
While the elder brother, Golly Ketan, belongs to the 2017 batch, the younger one, Goy, belongs to the 2019 AE batch.
With this, the number of people arrested in the paper leak case now stands at 27.
Meanwhile, former Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) chairman Nipo Nabam on Monday issued a statement, clarifying what he said was “misinformation of facts in social medias” against him with regard to the recent APPSC scam.
Nabam had resigned from his post on 14 October this year on moral grounds.
The former APPSC chairman in his statement said, “I joined as member of the APPSC on 16 October, 2014. The APPSCCE (mains) 2013-14 was held from 13-20 September, 2014, prior to my joining in APPSC as a member on 16 October, 2014. So, the allegation of my involvement in APPSCCE (mains) 2014 alleged question paper leakage is misleading and not true.”
“I joined as the chairman of the APPSC on 9 August, 2018,” he said.
He further said, “As regards to the handling of keys of the strongroom, a clear-cut instruction for conduct of examinations are being mentioned in the manual for Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission and the standard operating procedure (SOP). As per the SOP, the strongroom should be locked by two separate locks. Keys of one lock are in the custody of the controller of examination and other key with the official designated as officer in charge of the strongroom (usually the deputy controller of examination).
“Records of each official possessing the keys and entering/exiting into the strong room are maintained in a logbook by the controller of examination. The officer in charge of the strongroom also maintains a register that records entry and exit of all materials from the strongroom.
“Further, the strongroom is under 24/7 CCTV surveillance. So, the question of keeping any of the keys of the strongroom by the chairman is misleading and not true,” the statement read.
“As regards to my resignation, I have taken full responsibility for the acts of omission and commission by any officials of the APPSC during my tenure, being the head of the institution. And I have tendered my resignation, owning moral responsibility, paving way for free, fair and expeditious investigation,” Nabam said.
“As regards to the ongoing investigation in the current APPSC fiasco, I have been cooperating with various investigating agencies (CBI and SIC) whenever called for, and I do reiterate that I am neither running away nor avoiding from any enquiry by any authorities and will continue to extend my full cooperation in the investigation,” the statement read.
