Assam Recruitment Results Cancelled Over Missing Word 'Each' in Government Instructions
A single missing word—"each"—in government instructions to the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has led to the dramatic cancellation of recruitment results declared on Monday evening, after a critical reservation error left the Moran community without any seats while the Motak community received all four positions.
Reservation Error Sparks Controversy
Instead of granting reservation to two candidates each from the Moran and Motak communities as intended, the commission erroneously allocated all four reserved seats to the Motak community, completely excluding Moran candidates. This administrative oversight triggered immediate backlash and forced the commission to announce revised results on Tuesday, including the names of two Moran candidates in place of two OBC candidates.
The government later clarified that the original directive should have explicitly stated "two each" to ensure proper implementation. Following this clarification, APSC withdrew the results just minutes after their initial declaration, creating confusion and criticism among candidates and academic circles before issuing a fresh, corrected list of qualified candidates later on Tuesday.
APSC Official Cites Communication Gap
When contacted for clarification, APSC controller of examinations Chinmoy Nath explained that the earlier government communication lacked clarity regarding separate reservations. "We were not informed about separate reservations for Moran and Motak communities. We were informed about two reservations for Moran-Motak collectively, but we were not specifically instructed that one each for Moran and Motak should be reserved for Assam Civil Service and Assam Police Service respectively," Nath stated.
Political Fallout and Government Response
As various organizations, including the influential All Assam Students' Union, protested in Guwahati against the sudden cancellation, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addressed the controversy on Tuesday, asserting that the government was not at fault. "The image of the government was not tarnished; instead, the government received the best wishes of the Moran community for rectifying the error promptly," Sarma declared, characterizing the incident as a minor administrative issue within APSC's operations.
The recruitment process, which had attracted significant attention across Assam, now faces renewed scrutiny as candidates and observers question procedural safeguards within the state's public service commission. The incident highlights how seemingly minor linguistic oversights in official communications can have substantial consequences for employment opportunities and community representation in government services.
