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The Assam government on Saturday (September 14, 2024) ordered suspension of mobile internet services across the state for three-and-half hours from 10 a.m. on September 15 during a written examination for recruitment to Grade III posts.

Voice calls and broadband connectivity based on fixed telephone lines will remain functional, it added.

The notification, signed by Ajay Tewari, Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Political department, said it has been issued “in the interest of holding free, fair and transparent public examination and also to prevent arising of any law and order issues having bearing on public safety”.

Mobile Internet/mobile data/mobile wi-fi services in the entire state will remain suspended from 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. on Sunday.

“It is however clarified that the voice calls and the broadband connectivity based on fixed telephone lines may remain functional during the aforesaid period,” the notification said.

The examination for filling up Grade III posts in the government sector is scheduled from 10.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. on September 15.

Notably, mobile internet services were suspended for four hours in almost all the districts on two days in August 2022 when written examinations for Grade III and IV posts under the State Level Recruitment Commission (SLRC) were conducted for the first time.

According to the notification, 11,23,204 candidates are scheduled to appear for the exam in 2,305 centres on Sunday and 429 of them are identified as ‘sensitive’ ones due to their geographical location and history of cheating and other malpractices.

The notification said that on earlier such occasions, it has been seen that “some unscrupulous elements resorted to unfair means using different mobile applications”.

It also mentioned that there exists a “substantial apprehension that the anti-social elements or the organised groups shall try to take the advantage of the situation by resorting to rumour-mongering through social media and may try to destabilise the process of examination”.

To ensure free and fair examinations, the government has decided to take all steps to plug all possible loopholes, including temporary disabling of mobile internet service, the notification said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that any decision on the suspension of internet connection during the recruitment examination would be taken by the Chief Secretary.

“The Chief Secretary has to decide whether there is a need to cut the internet or not. If it is needed, he will give the order accordingly,” Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.

“For examinations in the future, I have asked our officials to formulate a protocol for locking internet services of mobile towers which cover the examination centres. It will take some time to happen,” he added.

The September 15 examination will be held for HSSLC-level Grade III posts.

The Northeast Frontier Railway will run 12 sets of special trains which will undertake 28 trips to facilitate the candidates.

The NFR will extend the destinations of four regular trains, which will undertake eight trips.

Written tests for bachelor’s degree-level posts and HSLC-level (drivers) posts of Grade III will be conducted on two different dates.

Tests for Grade IV posts of two different educational levels will be conducted on two other dates.

Around 18.50 lakh candidates have applied for the various classes of Grade III posts and 13.70 lakh for the different Grade IV posts, official sources said.