Guwahati, Sept 16: The Assam police have launched an investigation into allegations made by a female candidate that she was “inappropriately” frisked by a lady constable at an examination center during the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) for Group III posts in Nalbari on Sunday. The probe was initiated following a directive from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who expressed concern over the incident.

The candidate claimed that the lady constable conducted an invasive search of her private parts as she entered the examination hall, raising serious concerns about the conduct of security personnel and the procedures followed during the examination.

This incident has sparked public debate on the treatment of candidates and the need for proper frisking protocols to be followed, ensuring respect for privacy and dignity.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Sarma stated, “I spoke with the DGP, Assam, @gpsinghips, and instructed him to investigate the incident where a girl student has alleged that a lady constable searched her private parts before she entered the examination hall.”

Emphasizing his commitment to protecting the dignity of women, the Chief Minister added, “For me, the dignity and respect of our mothers and sisters are of utmost importance and non-negotiable.”

The Chief Minister also highlighted a separate incident reported by the DGP in North Lakhimpur, where cheating materials were recovered from the inner garment of a female candidate on the same day.

In his post, Sarma reinforced his commitment to conducting the ADRE examination with the “highest level of integrity and transparency.

The Chief Minister emphasized the need to uphold the decency and dignity of female candidates during recruitment examinations. He stressed the importance of creating a proper Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for searches involving women. This SOP should be developed in accordance with relevant court judgments and guidelines issued by the Women’s Commission.

The Chief Minister also directed that this SOP be circulated before the next round of examinations to ensure respectful and appropriate conduct by security personnel during such searches.

A major government recruitment examination was held in the state on Sunday, with over 11 lakh applicants participating across more than 2,300 centers statewide.

As part of the Chief Minister’s directive, Central Western Range DIG Indrani Baruah visited the residence of the victim on Sunday night to conduct an enquiry into the matter.

Sharing images of the frisking examination booth, the DGP Singh said in a post on X that the frisking was conducted inside the booth by a female police constable and a female home guard.

“A total of 397 women candidates were frisked at the Nalbari center between 8:30 am and 10:30 am,” he said, adding that similar booths had been set up at all examination centres across the state where women candidates appeared for the exam, ensuring a consistent and private process for frisking women candidates.

Singh also reported that an FIR was registered at the North Lakhimpur Police Station on Monday concerning an incident where cheating materials were discovered hidden inside a female candidate’s undergarments.

He stated that the Range DIG has been directed to investigate this matter further.

Given that the Range DIG for Central Western Range, as well as the District Commissioner and District Superintendent of Police of Nalbari, are all women, the DGP emphasized that the investigation is expected to be conducted promptly and the factual position will be determined quickly for appropriate action.

Read: ADRE exam integrity under scrutiny, question paper surfaces on social media 30 hours post-examination

WATCH:

Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.

Also, Follow us on-

Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub

Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020

Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub

Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub