APPSC: The state government has suspended the Secretary and Joint Secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) in connection with the leak of an assistant engineer (civil) examination paper.
APPSC secretary Jayanta Kumar Ray, an IAS officer, and joint secretary-cum-controller of examination Suraj Gurung, an Arunachal Pradesh Civil Service officer, have been suspended with immediate effect, according to an official order issued by chief secretary Dharmendra.
Also Read: APPSC paper leak: Students Joined Mass Protest Rally,Demands CBI Probe
On the other hand, after receiving approval from Governor Brig Dr B D Mishra, the chief secretary issued two separate orders late Wednesday night (Retd). The news came following a meeting on Wednesday between Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), and the All Nyishi Students’ Union (ANSU) to discuss APPSC reform.
The recent controversy of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) paper leak led to a major protest in Arunachal. Hundreds of students and aspirants from various competitive examinations, as well as members of the general public, participated in a mass protest rally organized by the Paper Leakage Issue Committee (PLIC) of AE (Civil) from Akashdeep to the Tennis Court here.
Paper leak in recruitment of Asstt Engineers by APPSC is unfortunate.
We Will deal the case with an iron hand.
We have also constituted a high-level committee to inquire and submit report within 15 days. We are not going to spare anyone. @CSArunachal @DgpPradesh pic.twitter.com/aNSWwJVLxR
— Pema Khandu པདྨ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་། (@PemaKhanduBJP) September 23, 2022
The protest was pointed directly at the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) for the recent AE (civil) exam question paper leak. Protesters demanded the resignation of the APPSC chairman and secretary, a speedy investigation into the recent paper leak incident, and a CBI or ED investigation into the main accused, Taket Jerang, who was also the examination controller.
So far, ten people have been arrested in connection with the case, including several government officials. The state government has already requested that the CBI investigate the case. Gyamar Padung, a candidate, filed a complaint with the Itanagar Police Station on August 29 this year, alleging that the AE (Civil) examination paper had been leaked. The examination was held on August 26 and 27.