Assam: 25 districts face internet suspension during govt exam hours

India

oi-PTI

Guwahati,
Aug
21:
Mobile
internet
services
across
25
districts
of
Assam
have
been
suspended
for
four
hours
on
Sunday
in
order
to
prevent
possible
malpractices
during
written
examination
for
Grade-IV
posts
of
various
state
government
departments.

Besides,
prohibitory
orders
under
Section
144
have
also
been
promulgated
in
the
districts
where
the
examinations
are
being
conducted,
a
top
government
official
said.

More
than
14.30
lakh
candidates
are
expected
to
appear
for
nearly
30,000
Grade-III
and
-IV
posts,
with
the
examinations
scheduled
for
August
21
and
28,
and
September
11.

1,000
model
anganwadi
centres
launched
in
Assam

While
the
Grade-IV
examinations
took
place
on
Sunday
in
two
shifts,
tests
for
Grade-III
posts
will
be
held
on
the
other
two
dates.
All
examinations
are
being
conducted
by
the
Board
of
Secondary
Education,
Assam
(SEBA).

Senior
officials
of
private
telecom
operators
Airtel
and
Jio
told
PTI
that
internet
services
have
been
suspended
in
25
districts
for
four
hours
as
per
directions
of
the
Assam
government.

“Dear
customers,
as
per
government
directive,
mobile
internet
services
are
being
temporarily
stopped
in
your
area
between
10
am
to
12
pm
and
between
2
pm
to
4
pm,”
read
an
Airtel
SMS
to
its
subscribers.

Similar
messages
were
sent
by
other
operators
to
their
customers
across
the
state.

On
August
17,
Chief
Minister
Himanta
Biswa
Sarma
had
stated
internet
services
would
be
suspended
during
the
examination
hours
to
avoid
possible
malpractices
during
the
recruitment
process.

Meanwhile,
Assam
Police
said
in
a
tweet
that
Section
144
of
CrPC
has
been
promulgated
in
and
around
the
examination
venues
for
all
the
three
days
in
order
to
conduct
the
tests
in
a
“free,
fair
and
transparent
manner”.

First
drone
school
of
Northeast
launched
by
Assam
government

As
per
an
official
order,
gathering
of
people
within
the
radius
of
100
metre
of
each
examination
centre
other
than
candidates,
scribes
and
officials
engaged
for
conduct
and
monitoring
has
been
prohibited.

Carrying
mobile
phones
to
the
examination
centres
has
also
been
barred.

Prohibitory
orders
under
Section
144
of
CrPC
have
also
been
imposed
within
a
radius
of
100
metre
of
the
SEBA
office
at
Guwahati
till
receiving,
depositing
and
scrutinising
the
answer
scripts
are
over,
Guwahati
Police
said
in
a
separate
order.