Assam: Examinee claims woman constable searched her private parts before entering Exam hall

GUWAHATI-    Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered the DGP to conduct an investigation after a female examinee claimed that a woman constable searched her private parts before she entered the examination hall to take a test for the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination. “I would have never taken…examination if I knew this would happen to me,” the examinee said in a video.

The state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) later sent a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), alleging violation of the candidate’s basic rights.

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Sarma added that the director general of police informed him of another incident in North Lakhimpur, where “cheating material” was recovered from a woman candidate during the exam.

“My instruction to the police on the Nalbari incident – I spoke with the DGP, Assam, @gpsinghips and instructed him to investigate the incident where a girl student has alleged that a lady constable searched her private parts before she entered the examination hall,” Sarma posted on ‘X’.

“For me, the dignity and respect of our mothers and sisters are of utmost importance and non-negotiable,” he said.

My instruction to the police on the Nalbari incident –
I spoke with the DGP, Assam, @gpsinghips and instructed him to investigate the incident where a girl student has alleged that a lady constable searched her private parts before she entered the examination hall. For me, the…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) September 16, 2024

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The government has a crucial task of conducting the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) with the highest level of integrity and transparency, he said.

“We owe this to the entire younger generation of ours, and it cannot be compromised under any circumstances,” Sarma said.

At the same time, it must be ensured that the “decency and dignity of female candidates are upheld at all times”, he said.

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“A proper standard operating procedure (SOP) should be developed, taking into account the relevant judgments from the Hon’ble Courts and guidelines from the Women’s Commission regarding the conduct of searches involving women, and this must be circulated before the next round of examinations,” the chief minister said.

Meanwhile, senior AAP leader Amlanjyoti Hatibaruah submitted a complaint to the NHRC over “violation” of human rights during the recruitment exams.

He alleged that aspirants’ basic rights were violated under the pretext of security checks, and these are not “isolated” complaints by the candidates, but rather part of a “systematic and invasive practice observed across multiple examination centres, which grossly undermined the dignity of the candidates”.

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In the letter, Hatibaruah demanded an investigation into the accusations.

The Assam Direct Recruitment Examination to fill up vacant Group III posts was held on Sunday, amid tight security and suspension of internet services for three and a half hours across the state.

After the exams, the chief minister had said the first ADRE had concluded peacefully, and expressed his deep gratitude to all the “officers and staff of the Assam government who have successfully completed this monumental task without any issue”.

Altogether 11,23,204 candidates were eligible to appear for the examination in 2,305 centres across the state.