Job aspirants in Jammu and Kashmir have demanded the immediate removal of Aptech from conducting government recruitment exams for various posts in government departments. A day after they were cane-charged at Dogra Chowk in Jammu, hundreds of jobseekers assembled at Ambedkar Park and staged a protest against the company. The protesters claimed that Aptech was blacklisted in 2019 and is accused of leaking crucial national-level exams in the last two months.
Except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), all other Jammu and Kashmir parties have asked for a ban on Aptech from conducting JKSSB exams. The JKSSB’s decision to continue with a fraudulent blacklisted company indicates how deeply entrenched corruption is in J&K, said Mehbooba Mufti, the president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Several netizens have taken to social media to question the BJP’s lack of support for the protesting aspirants. Many are expressing their disappointment and frustration, arguing that the party should be more responsive to the demands and concerns of the citizens it serves. Some are even accusing the BJP of being indifferent to the issues facing job seekers and prioritizing its own political interests over the welfare of the people. These criticisms highlight the importance of accountability and transparency in government, as well as the need for elected officials and political parties to listen to the voices of their constituents and work towards finding solutions to their problems.
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A senior JKSSB official said the company was hired as per the central and J&K governments’ guidelines and completed the blacklisting period of three years in May last year. However, several states had blacklisted the company, and the Delhi High Court had imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on the company for alleged malpractices in recruitment.
The protesting aspirants have four core demands – the immediate withdrawal of the exam calendar released by JKSSB, removal of Aptech from conducting government recruitments, technical investigation into exams conducted by Aptech, and stern action against those involved in paper leak scams.
The up-roar continues in Srinagar, where several aspirants staged a protest on the second day. National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah condemned the lathi-charge on protesting aspirants and demanded that the contract with Aptech must immediately be canceled. Abdullah also said that the contract is dangerous and puts at risk the future of scores of aspirants who rely on JKSSB to conduct recruitment exams.