IMPHAL/GUWAHATI, Aug 18: Manipur-based Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) has requested the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) to issue a clarification regarding a question related to the Manipur crisis that was allegedly included in the recently held Agricultural Development Officer Examination.
In a statement on Monday, MHS said a “mischievous question on the Manipur crisis to malign the Meitei community” was asked during the August 10 examination conducted by the APSC.
Expressing concern, the MHS also urged the APSC to “declare the question null and void, ensuring it is not used for evaluation purposes.”
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“Such a one-sided portrayal is unbecoming of a public service commission, whose mandate is to recruit public servants committed to fairness, impartiality, and service to the nation without prejudice”, it said.
MHS asserted that the question and the “subsequent answers” did not reflect the role played by Kuki-Chin militants and Kuki-Zo civil society organisations in the ongoing Manipur crisis.
“We submitted a strong representation highlighting our serious concern for selectively targeting one community while ignoring publicly available data (including reports by NIA, CBI and Supreme Court appointed committee) on the role of Chin Kuki militants and their CSOs”, it added.
“We have been told that our representation is under evaluation by the examination committee,” it said.
Asserting it has “full faith in the wisdom of the committee and hope that the commission will clarify on this issue”, MHS said it has requested the APSC to “issue a clarification acknowledging the biased nature of the question and declare the question null and void, ensuring it is not used for evaluation purposes.”
When contacted, Assam Public Service Commission chairman Debaraj Upadhaya told PTI, “We don’t set the question papers as it is given to different setters. Then it is sent to moderators. Question setters and moderators are not our people, but all from different universities and reputed colleges. We cannot see the questions as these are locked by the moderators.”
He added, “We do not have any mala fide intention, everything is bona fide. We don’t have any view on any community because we are a neutral body. There is no politics involved in it. I cannot comment on the particular question as I have not seen it. The principal controller of examination will be able to talk about it.” (PTI)
