Assam to conduct recruitment exams through varsities now

GUWAHATI: Assam government will conduct recruitment examinations of all the departments, including for police personnel, through universities from now, chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said on Tuesday.
He told the media that he had convened a meeting with the vice-chancellors of all the five universities of the state on the matter. “Following the direction of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, I have discussed the matter with the VCs of the universities and registrars and controllers of examinations,” he said, while adding that most of the departments have vacancies.
This move was taken after the controversy over awarding a contract to Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation (KELTRON) to conduct the recruitment examination for the 597 sub-inspectors post in Assam police, for which around 66,000 candidates had applied. The examination, which was held on September 20, was cancelled immediately after the question paper got leaked.
Following the incident, most of the political parties including the main opposition Congress and organisations have been stepping up pressure on the government to arrest the accused involved in the case. They have questioned the government’s decision to give a contract to KELTRON, which later awarded subcontracts to two local firms.
Leader of the opposition in Assam assembly Debebrata Saikia recently sent a letter to Kerala CM P Vijayan, intimating him how the agency had got embroiled in the question paper leak scandal, pushing thousands of aspirants to an uncertain future.
Meanwhile, the prime accused PK Dutta, former DIG, was nabbed from Kakarvitta area along the India-Nepal border on Tuesday.
Another prime accused in the case, Dibon Deka, has been sent to CID custody for six days. He was produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate, Kamrup (Metro) by the crime branch. Deka was arrested on Wednesday last in Barpeta district in lower Assam.