APPSC paper leak: Normal life paralyzed as Arunachal’s Itanagar continues to remain shut

As the bandh continued with no signs of easing, the daily wagers were hit the worst as Arunachal Pradesh state capital continued to remain closed for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Local markets, business establishments, banks, post offices, educational institutions, and government offices remained closed, and vehicular traffic was off the road as most of the capital streets, including its lifeline NH-415, were blocked by the protesters.

Moreover, the State Board examinations of classes V and VIII, and class IX (internal) scheduled to be held on Saturday in all schools of Itanagar Capital Complex were postponed by the government in view of the prevailing situation.

As mobile internet services remained suspended for the second successive day today, the normal functioning of local media houses was affected.

The state government had ordered a temporary suspension of mobile internet services in the Itanagar Capital Region for 47 hours starting 6 pm on Friday till 5 pm on Sunday ‘to prevent further occurrence of serious law & order problems’.

“Though there was no report of any fresh incidents from any parts of Capital Complex today so far, the situation remains precarious with the mob being quite aggressive,” a senior police officer had said earlier.

The Itanagar bandh was enforced by the ‘public’ in protest against the non-fulfillment of the 13-point demand of the Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee-APPSC pertaining to the APPSC fiasco.

Meanwhile, heeding the call from Chief Minister Pema Khandu, a 10-member team from the protesters' side, including the PAJSC chairman Techi Puru, reached the CM's office around 3 pm for a meeting with Khandu to discuss their charter of demands.

Till the filing of this report, the meeting was in progress with a sea of slogan-shouting protesters waiting outside the Civil Secretariat gate here.

The Committee has been demanding that government declare all the recruitment examinations conducted by the APPSC ‘null and void’ wherever question papers were allegedly leaked, immediate arrest of the former APPSC chairman, secretary, members, and all the officials of the Commission, an Enforcement Directorate and Court-monitored probe into the APPSC fiasco, immediate dismissal of state government officials involved in the cash-for-job scam.

It also demanded the conduct of recruitment examinations by UPSC amid the ongoing probe into the paper leak scam, a three-member committee report on AE (Civil) paper leak be made public, the three state government officers posted under APPSC be recalled, and all aggrieved candidates be given a compensation of Rs five lakh each, among others.

They added one more demand to their wishlist - the cancellation of Friday’s scheduled swearing-in of the new APPSC Chairman and three members, which has been conceded by the government at last.

The post of APPSC chairman and members fell vacant due to the resignation of the then chairman and members from their respective posts in October 2022 following the APPSC-conducted Assistant Engineer (Civil) Mains examination paper leak scam that came to the fore in August last year.

A total of 415 candidates appeared in the said examination conducted on August 26 and 27, 2022 for 33 AE posts.

Presently, the paper leak case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

(With UNI inputs)