Following allegations by a female candidate from Nalbari that she was inappropriately searched before appearing for the grade 3 recruitment examination held on September 15, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the government will come up with a proper SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for frisking of women candidates. UPDATE: ADRE admit card for graduate, HSLC posts out
“ For me, the dignity and respect of our mothers and sisters are of utmost importance and non-negotiable…” Sarma posted on X.
The Chief Minister said he has instructed the Director General of Police (DGP) ti investigate the Nalbari incident.
Sarma said in another incident in North Lakhimpur, cheating material was recovered from the inner garment of a girl candidate.
“We have two crucial tasks before us…to conduct the ADRE examination with the highest level of integrity and transparency. We owe this to the entire younger generation of ours, and it cannot be compromised under any circumstances…at the same time, we must ensure the decency and dignity of our female candidates are upheld at all times,” the Chief Minister wrote.
The SOP will be developed taking into account the relevant court judgments and guidelines from the Women’s Commission and will be circulated before the next round of examinations, he added.
Also read: ADRE grade 3 exam analysis: Aspirants rate Maths, English easy; overall paper as easy to moderate
The Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) candidate from Nalbari shared her embarrassing experience through a video on Facebook on Sunday Evening.
“They put their hands inside the lower part of my body and even touched my private area. I didn’t know what the process was, but I felt embarrassed and ashamed. I would have never attended the examination if I knew this would happen to me,” she said.
“Many other girls faced this. Some were wearing mekhela, some wearing leggings. They were made bound to remove clothes and it was happening in an open space,” the candidate said.
She said that she appeared for national-level exams in the past but never experienced such kind of checkings. “I understand their concern but this was not appropriate in my view. I request the chief minister to verify this because two more phases of this exam are scheduled for upcoming weeks,” she added.
(With inputs from HT Correspondent)
