Manipur Public Service exam cancellation creates confusion
Order came 5 minutes before exam was to begin; there was mismatch between heading and content of question paper
Imphal, Nov 9: Confusion and disappointment prevailed among hundreds of civil service aspirants in Manipur as the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) cancelled the Manipur Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination (MCSCCE), 2022 Mains, barely five minutes before the exam was to begin on Sunday.
The cancellation was ordered following a mismatch between the heading and the content of the question paper.
The examination, conducted at three different centres, including TG Higher Secondary School and the MPSC Examination Hall in Imphal, and the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in Guwahati, was meant to be the Paper-IV (General Studies-III) of the mains. However, when the sealed question papers were opened, candidates noticed that the heading of the question paper did not match the contents inside.
Following complaints from several candidates, the commission verified the issue and immediately called off the examination across all three centres to ensure fairness. Controller of Examination, MPSC, Kh. Lalmani Singh, while addressing reporters at the MPSC office in Imphal, explained that the error occurred due to a mistake by the ‘secured printing press’ responsible for printing the confidential question papers.
He clarified that no official from the commission is allowed to check the question papers beforehand to maintain secrecy and that the sealed papers are opened only in front of the candidates in the examination hall. “The mismatch was discovered only when the sealed packet was opened before the start of the exam. The commission could not detect the error earlier as confidentiality is paramount,” he added.
