KSU escalates protest, burns effigy of Meghalaya Public Service Commission

The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) intensified its protests against the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) on August 8 by burning an effigy of the commission outside its office.

The demonstration was sparked by MPSC’s refusal to release the marks of all candidates who appeared for the Meghalaya Civil Services (MCS) Preliminary Examination, a move the KSU claims undermines transparency in the recruitment process.

The effigy, emblazoned with words like "corruption" and "nepotism," was set ablaze as a symbolic protest against what the KSU alleges is rampant malpractice within the MPSC. The students' union argues that the commission's reluctance to disclose the marks raises serious questions about its integrity.

Tensions escalated after the MPSC issued a public notice on August 6, asking candidates for general consent to release their marks, following a petition by some candidates who opposed the disclosure on privacy grounds. The KSU, however, dismissed these privacy concerns as a ploy to conceal corruption.

KSU chief Lambokstarwell Marngar criticised the MPSC for its inconsistent statements and accused it of attempting to hide something from the public. He noted that the union had previously met with the state government in 2018, demanding full transparency in recruitment by both the MPSC and the District Selection Committees (DSCs).

Marngar also questioned the MPSC's decision to issue an additional list of 62 candidates, allegedly due to errors in the examination. He argued that this move only deepens suspicions about the fairness of the recruitment process.

The KSU has vowed to continue its protests until the MPSC meets its demands for transparency and merit-based recruitment, urging the commission to end practices that they claim cater to political and bureaucratic interests rather than the aspirations of job seekers.