Meghalaya: Khasi Students' Union sets fire to MPSC replies in protest over recruitment irregularities

Khasi Students' Union (KSU) activists set fire to copies of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission's (MPSC) reply during a sit-in demonstration at the commission's premises on August 1. The protest came after the expiration of a 48-hour ultimatum given to the MPSC to address alleged irregularities in civil service recruitment processes.

Reuben Najiar, chairman of the KSU Employment Monitoring Cell, led the protest, expressing dissatisfaction with the MPSC's response to their concerns. The demonstrators tore up and burned copies of the commission's reply, vowing to continue their protest until their demands are met.

A delegation from the KSU met with the MPSC chairman to discuss their grievances. The commission agreed to publish the marks of all candidates who appeared for the Meghalaya Civil Service (MCS) Preliminary Examination by the evening.

The KSU raised concerns about the Meghalaya Police Service (MPS) examination, questioning the MPSC's decision to deviate from the advertised ratio of 1:2.5 for calling candidates to personal interviews. The union pointed out that fewer candidates than expected were invited for interviews.

Regarding the recruitment of statistical officers, the KSU challenged the MPSC's decision to declare results for two positions when the original advertisement mentioned only one post for the Khasi-Jaintia category. The commission attributed this to a clerical error, but KSU expressed skepticism about such mistakes.

Najiar emphasised the need for reform within the MPSC to prevent future irregularities. The KSU plans to meet with the state government in the coming days to submit proposals for improving the commission's functioning.