Guwahati: Following the announcement of results for the Constable GD (Civil) and Constable IRBn (Band/Bugler) exams, many candidates have accused the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) of not adhering to official recruitment guidelines regarding minimum qualifying marks.
Of the 426 advertised vacancies, the board selected only 20 candidates for the positions. This unusually low number has sparked outrage among applicants, who claim the board failed to follow recruitment norms outlined by the Administrative Reforms Department.
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On 14 August 2023, the Administrative Reforms Department issued a notification requiring candidates to achieve minimum qualifying marks, set at the discretion of the APSSB, for recruitment to Group C posts.
The rules also allowed for relaxed standards for Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribes (APST) candidates and persons with benchmark disabilities (PwD), in cases where not enough candidates from these categories met the general criteria.
Candidates now allege that the board completely overlooked this provision, denying them fair opportunities.
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“We prepared for a Class 10-level exam, as mentioned in the official advertisement. But the questions were of UPSC difficulty. That wasn’t fair,” said Mipe, a candidate.
She added that by ignoring the qualifying marks rule, the board disqualified many APST candidates who could have otherwise secured the posts.
She pointed out that despite the availability of 426 positions, only 20 candidates were selected. “Most APST applicants didn’t make it. The board had every reason and authority to implement relaxed criteria but chose not to,” she said.
Candidates have also raised concerns over inconsistencies in cut-off marks.
They said the board rejected several APST candidates who cleared the 33% subject-wise cut-off, citing age criteria as the reason.
“We underwent multiple verification rounds before the exam. Why wasn’t this issue addressed during those stages?” Mipe questioned.
Tadak Nalo, chairman of the Arunachal Frontier Tribal Front (AFTF), has taken up the matter, accusing the APSSB of selectively applying recruitment rules.
He cited the original advertisement and related documents, which clearly mentioned a 33% cut-off per subject and an aggregate score of 45%.
Although the board later scrapped the 45% aggregate requirement through a notification issued in June 2022, Nalo argued that it failed to comply with the latest amendment issued on 14 August 2023.
That amendment mandated adherence to minimum qualifying marks for recruitment to Group A, B, and C posts.
Nalo claimed that despite receiving clear instructions via the gazette notification, the board chose not to implement the revised examination rules during the recruitment process. He said he has raised the issue with Home Minister Mama Natung, who promised to look into the matter. “We’re waiting for firm action. The discrepancies are serious, and we demand a full investigation,” Nalo said.
He further called for the suspension of APSSB Chairman Vivek Pandey, alleging gross negligence in conducting the exam.
In response, Pandey told The Arunachal Times that the board has already addressed all concerns raised by the candidates. “We’ve informed the government, and we are implementing the Cabinet’s decision on this issue,” he stated.