Female candidates appearing for exams will continue to be frisked, albeit with permission, said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday. Sarma addressed the issue after a candidate in Nalbari alleged inappropriate physical checking while appearing for the recent Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE).
Controversy erupted over frisking at Swahid Smriti Senior Secondary School examination centre in Nalbari district's Belsor after a female candidate described her experience of it on Facebook as "disgraceful and pathetic". Although the personnel carrying out the checking were women, she said that they went too far, by putting their hands inside undergarments of candidates. Additionally, the frisking was done in full public view with no cloth cover available in the area where female candidates were being checked, she alleged.
Speaking on the matter in Assam's Bezera where he inspected the rebuilding of a school, the Chief Minister said, "Checking will happen continue even for female candidates. What happens if women bring chits with them? We cannot rule that out. In fact, it will be conducted like it happens in airports."
"Candidates will be asked if they want to be frisked. If they object, then they will be placed in a separate exam hall where we will deploy stricter invigilation. We cannot rule out checking candidates just because they are female. Then male candidates will come up questioning this," he said in response to queries.
Meanwhile, Sarma said that no candidates appearing in the ADRE exams will get double appointments, that is, appointment in both class III and class IV positions. "We have made a rule that if a candidate gets class III position, his or her class IV candidacy will be cancelled. If one gets the upper scale, the lower position will be cancelled. We have taken measures to ensure this time there is no double appointments," he said.
"We found that around 1,000 to 1,500 candidates get double appointments. So this time, we taken some measures. In the end, if such a situation arises, then we are thinking of introducing a lottery to only give out a single appointment," added Sarma.
Notably, in the wake of the incident, Assam Director General of Police (DGP), Gyanendra Pratap Singh, ordered an inquiry into allegations of inappropriate physical checks of women candidates in the Nalbari exam centre.