PSC slammed for job ‘bias’ against Jammu

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 15

The alleged discrimination against Jammu in the selection lists, recently released by the J&K Public Service Commission (PSC), has evoked a strong reaction from political parties and their student wings here, with a clamour for the sacking of the PSC chairman.

The ruling BJP has also jumped into the controversy with one of its MLAs demanding video-recording of all PSC interviews to ensure “transparency” in the selection process.

“In the backdrop of hullabaloo around the recently declared selection lists of assistant professors in the Department of Higher Education and other posts too, there should be video-recording of interviews of candidates by the commission for various posts being referred to it from time to time,” BJP MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania said in a press statement.

He added, “Given the past experiences and allegations of regional bias, favouritism and nepotism, allocation of a greater number of marks to blue-eyed candidates in interviews in order to cover the gap and ensure cake-walk for those candidates who have qualified by a whisker in the screening rounds, a serious question mark has been put on the credibility of the premier selection agency under scanner.”

Throwing the ball in the court of the government and calling for an all-party consensus on it, the BJP MLA said although a good number of posts were being advertised regularly through the PSC, youth had a sense of frustration and fear of uncertainty.

“It is most unfortunate for a state where the educated youth have doubts as to whether or not their merit or competence shall be properly recognised and evaluated. Videographing of PSC interviews shall also lessen the preponderance of litigation and unnecessary bickering over the results of various selections,” Pathania said.

Harsh Dev Singh, chairman of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), said, “It is shocking to note that Jammu has been subjected to grave injustice in employment. In the recently published selection list of assistant professors in the discipline of commerce, merely 13 posts went to the Jammu region out of 58, the rest went to candidates from Kashmir. In the open merit category in education, out of the 58 posts, 47 selected applicants were from Kashmir province while only 11 were from Jammu province”.

Angered over the alleged bias against the Jammu youth, the National Panthers Students Union (NPSU), a students’ wing of the JKNPP, staged a demonstration outside the University of Jammu and burnt the effigy of the state government.

Demanding an immediate removal of the PSC chairman, NPSU activists alleged that 70 per cent of the selected assistant professors were from the Valley.

“Such act is aimed at spoiling the career of educated youth of Jammu while the youth who were involved in stone-throwing, mob violence, burning of public buildings were given prizes in the form of jobs and compensation of Rs 5 lakh,” said Thakur Virender Singh, NPSU president.