Jammu and Kashmir: Scores detained as job seekers protest against hiring of previously black-listed company

Police detain Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) aspirants protesting against the purported grant of contract to APTECH Limited for conduct of various examinations for government jobs, in Jammu, Thursday, March 9, 2023. PTI Photo

Jammu: Police Thursday detained scores of job seekers after they staged a demonstration for the second consecutive day here against the hiring of a previously black-listed company by Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) for conducting computer-based written tests (CBT).

The protesters came out on the roads despite assurances of a fair recruitment process by the JKSSB. The board has scheduled written tests from March 16 to April 5 at various examination centres across the Union Territory to fill various government vacancies.

A group of job aspirants assembled at Panama chowk and raised slogans against the hiring of APTECH Limited, the company which had been blacklisted in 2019.

They were detained by police, who forced them into two waiting buses and took them to a nearby police station.

"We are not even allowed to hold a peaceful protest to secure our future," said a protester while being whisked away by police.

PDP president and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti reacted sharply to the use of police force against the protesters and said the action shows how deeply entrenched corruption is in J&K.

"JKSSB's decision to continue with a fraudulent blacklisted company indicates how deeply entrenched corruption is in J&K. Sarkari babus responsible for this continue enjoying their positions at the cost of sabotaging the future of J&Ks youth. So much for corruption-free J&K," Mehbooba tweeted.

According to the JKSSB, the company was hired as per the central and J&K government guidelines as it has already completed the blacklisting period of three years in May last year.

"When we are selecting a company for conducting a written examination, we also employ checks and balances to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness in the selection. We are following a procedure which matches the standards of major national level recruitment agencies," an official of the recruiting agency had said.

The JKSSB said all arrangements have been put in place to ensure a fair and transparent exam.

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"The CBT shall be conducted under CCTV surveillance for maintaining transparency in the examination. Besides, low frequency jammers are being installed in all the examination centres to prevent the use of unfair means including cheating using bluetooth and wi-fi enabled electronic devices," an official spokesman said.

A third party has been hired to review the examination process of CBTs conducted by JKSSB to ensure an exam that is free from any malpractice, he said.

"The concerned district magistrates will issue prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code around the examination centres during the timing of exam, while a multi-layered structure for supervision has also been established with one Centre Observer and Centre Magistrate for each examination centre by the respective district administration," the spokesman said.

Senior officers will also be deployed as General Observer by the General Administration Department and IT professionals will be deployed by the Information Technology Department for monitoring of the CBT exams, the official added.

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