NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, DECEMBER 4
Over 700 government job aspirants were detained in Gandhinagar for staging a protest without permission on Wednesday against irregularities in a competitive exam conducted by a state-run board and demanded resignation of its chairman and cancellation of the recruitment test in Gujarat.
Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja said the board will resolve cases of cheating related to the November 17 test, but ruled out cancellation of the exam.
“GSSSB is checking CCTV footage of exam centres. The data is huge, but we are in the last stages of finding out the culprits. As per the chairman of GSSSB, action will be taken within two days,” Jadeja told reporters.
The main opposition Congress, on the other hand, said it will organise a march till the Assembly complex on December 9 if the government failed to cancel the exam.
We have received 39 written complaints and 26 cases of cheating using WhatsApp, as well as cases of cheating captured in videos made public by the Congress party, said Dr Manish Doshi, main spokesperson of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC).
According to police, nearly 700 protesters were detained in Gandhinagar, where the demonstration was held.
Candidates who had appeared in the November 17 written test conducted by the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB) gathered in Gandhinagar from different parts of the state to demand cancellation of the competitive exam.
The exam was held for recruitment of 3,910 non-secretariat clerks and office assistants in government departments.
More than 10 lakh candidates had applied for the exam, which was marred by cheating complaints, and of these over 6 lakh appeared at centres across Gujarat.
We detained around 700 protesters as they gathered near Satyagrah Chhavni in the state capital to protest, shouting slogans.
“They did not have the permission to organise the protest,” Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police Mayur Chavda said.
Aggrieved candidates said the government was dragging its feet on taking action against the culprits engaged in widespread irregularities reported on the day of the exam and alleged it was ‘trying to shield people connected with the ruling BJP’.
The job aspirants said they will not settle for anything less than cancellation of the exam and its reconduct.
They also sought resignation of the GSSSB chairman.
The opposition Congress had on Friday demanded cancellation of the examination..
It alleged large scale irregularities to favour candidates having links with the ruling BJP, and released CCTV footage of two different exam centres in Wadhwan town of Surendranagar district to prove its claim.
