Gandhinagar:  Even as aspirants of the non-secretariat clerk and secretariat assistant class 3 recruitment exam of the Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection Board (GSSSB) held on November 17, were protesting demanding cancellation of the allegedly malpractice marred exam, the state government today categorically said that strict action would be taken against those found involved in malpractices during the exam but the whole examination would not be cancelled.

      Minister of State for home Pradipsinh Jadeja also alleged that main opposition Congress (whose two MLAs Kirit Patel and Gulab Rajput were also detained along with the protesting aspirants here today) was trying to play politics and mislead the youths of the state.

       He said that there were 39 complaints of malpractices during the exam which were being investigated in detail. 305 related CCTV footage were also being checked to verify the complaints. ‘The board though was an autonomous body yet the state government has sought a report from it and the chairman (Asit Vora) has informed that the investigation of the complaints was in last stages and it would be completed in next two days or so.The board would take action against those involved in malpractices so that the future of those candidates who had spent two to five years for the preparation for the exam was not affected,’ he said.

      He said that the exam was conducted at 3173 centers of which almost 98% were covered under the CCTV.

      Jadeja said that one aspirant who had sent the paper out with the help of whatsapp in Palanpur and the one who had sent the answer key to him have been arrested.  The reports about leak of the paper in Bhavnagar were found to be completely fake during investigation. The Congress lodged complaint of Surendranagar was under investigation and action would be taken against the culprits.

      To a query he said that the Gujarat government has in last five years given jobs to over one lakh youths while the Congress which was inciting the youths due to political reasons had stopped the recruitment process during its regimes.

      He said that the government would not cancel the exam through which around 4 thousand youths would get jobs but ensure that justice was done to all the honest aspirants. All those who were involved in malpractices would face strict action.

      Meanwhile Congress today reiterated its demand to cancel the exam and re-conduct it. ‘The party had also given CCTV footage of malpractice to the government but no action has yet been taken. The exam should be cancelled,’  Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda said.

      Police had detained large number of aspirants along with Congress leaders from near Karmyogi Bhavan here. They had gone to the board office to lodge their protest and demand cancellation of the exam. Meanwhile protest by such aspirants was still on.

DeshGujarat