6 arrested in Arunachal Public Service Commission paper leak case, CBI enquiry recommended

With protests breaking out across the state pertaining to the infamous Arunachal Public Service Commission paper leak case, the Itanagar Police arrested six persons, including one deputy secretary of Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) and two teachers, for their alleged involvement in the AE (Civil) Mains Examination 2022 question paper leak case.

Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu who had recommended for CBI enquiry, regarding recent question paper leak incident of Engineering exam conducted by State Civil Service commission.

Addressing media persons at the civil secretariat, the state home minister Bamang Felix said, “The paper leak matter will be deeply investigated. Therefore the government has decided to hand over the case to the CBI to ensure free, fair, impartial and swift investigation.”

Though the police investigation has “gone deep,” the government has decided to hand the case over to the CBI for further investigation, Felix said.

Reiterating “the government’s commitment to root out corruption,” Felix said that six persons have so far been arrested in the case.

“Itanagar police have already investigated deep into the case. In addition, the SIC is also investigating, and a high-level committee has also been constituted to inquire into the matter,” the minister said.

On being asked whether the CBI inquiry would be confined to the AE (civil) paper leak case or include other exams conducted by the APPSC, Felix said: “Presently, we are recommending enquiry into the AE paper leak case.”

Earlier, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who was in Lower Subansiri district, stressed that the APPSC paper leak case is “a big jolt to the entire state, which demoralises the aspirants, as well as myself.”

To root out the endemic corruption in the premier recruiting agency, the CM said that “I have recommended CBI inquiry into the paper leakage issue, so that thorough investigation is carried out and no one dares to indulge in corrupt practices in premier recruiting agencies like the APPSC and the APSSB.”

The CM also informed that the “deprived aspirants whose age limits have crossed due to marred exams will be considered through the cabinet, and they will be given the opportunity to appear for the exams. 

Six persons which include APPSC Deputy Secretary Taket Jerang, middleman Tama Saroh, candidate Thomas Gaduk, Akhilesh Yadav, Tanyang Gaduk, and Dilip Saha, have so far been arrested in connection with the case

Earlier massive peaceful protest rally by thousands of participants was held at Itanagar from Akashdeep to Tennis court of Indira Gandhi Park against the recent question paper leak of AE civil examination conducted by Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) demanding CBI enquiry & resignation of both Chairman & Secretary.

Gyamar Padang an aspirant who became the whistle blower alleged that the questions were leaked by one Akhilesh Yadav of Jeju coaching Institute of Itanagar.

The Mains examination for the posts of Assistant Engineer (Civil) was conducted by the APPSC on August 26 and 27.

SP Jimmy Chiram informed that the arrestees include father-son duo of Tanyang Gaduk and Thomas Gaduk (aspirant candidate), Akhilesh Yadav (teacher of a Jeju coaching institute), Tama Saroh (junior teacher of a State-run school) and Taket Jerang (Deputy Secretary cum Deputy Controller of Examination, APPSC) & Dugh Saha courier man.

Thousands of protestors while raising their voices on the paper leak case, said, “We strongly demand the state government for ED and CBI level investigation in paper leakage case. The aspirants no longer have faith in any ‘high-level’ committee constituted by the state government to probe the case,” said Techi Puru, the chairman of the committee.

Puru described the formation of the high-level committee as “eyewash,” and said that police investigation has revealed involvement of government officers in the case.

“We do not buy or subscribe to the statement made by APPSC member Jarken Gamlin that no officer of the commission is involved in the fiasco except accused Taket Jerang,” Puru said.

The committee has also demanded resignation of APPSC Chairman Nipo Nabam and Secretary Jayanta Kumar Roy on moral grounds, stating that “numerous malpractices occurred ever since Nabam was appointed as chairman.”

“We will boycott all APPSC examinations until the commission is reshuffled,” Puru said, and appealed to the chief minister and the governor to “write to the president of India regarding reshuffling in the APPSC and termination of corrupt officers.”

Highlighting the Assam Public Service Commission job scam, in which the jobs of all accused officers were terminated by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Puru accused Chief Minister Pema Khandu of being “incompetent in terminating the accused officers of APPSC and APSSB.”

He also sought enquiry into “all APPSC examinations conducted under APPSC Chairman Nipo Nabam and Deputy Controller Taket Jerang,” stating that similar malpractice might have occurred in the exams held previously by the APPSC.

The committee also demanded “inclusion of fresh/new candidates along with the old ones in the AE (civil) exam to be reconducted by the APPSC,” and to increase the age limit of APPSC aspirants to 40 years.

On 29 August, a case (u/s 120-B/420/406/409) was lodged at the Itanagar police station by a candidate in connection with the leakage of question paper prior to the examination for the posts of AE (civil) conducted by the APPSC on 26 and 27 August.