The image is representational. A file photo showing arrest of Vinkal Sharma in March 2023.
Jammu had witnessed protests against selection process, questions were raised about hiring tainted firm to conduct exams.
JAMMU, Nov 5: Vinkal Sharma, an aspirant for the post of sub inspectors (SI),
selections for which have been mired in controversy, was allegedly detained as
the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board announced the JKSSB SI Result
2022 on November 4, 2023.
Vinkal Sharma was one of aspirants who had questioned the government for
engaging a tainted agency, Aptech, to conduct written exams for various posts in
government departments including that of sub-inspectors.
Prominent lawyer and a PDP leader, Aditya Gupta, in a video uploaded on
Facebook, said that Vinkal Sharma was illegally detained and condemned the
action.
A video showing a large posse of policeman dragging him and taking him was also
posted on twitter from the handle Jammu Kashmir Students. The veracity of the
video could not be immediately ascertained.
It may be recalled that Vinkal Sharma was among several protestors detained
earlier in March when job seekers were staging a protest demonstration against
alleged corruption in the selection process.
Sharma had told the media, during the protest in March last, “Aptech is
blacklisted in many states and in the last two months, it has leaked many crucial
national-level exams. The JKSSB did not learn anything from its frauds and has
hired it again.”
However, the government neither issued a statement regarding the alleged
questions raised by the protestors. They were instead cane-charged and detained.
The written test for the post of SIs was conducted from December 7 to December
20, 2022, at various exam centers across Jammu and Kashmir.
The provisional answer key was issued on December 30 and the challenges were
accepted till January 2, 2023.
Vinkal Sharma’s detention curiously coincides with the day of the announcement
of the result.
Condemning the action, Aditya Sharma said that Vinkal Sharma was an aspirant
for the post and a whistle blower who had first raised the issue about alleged
corruption and discrepancies in the selection process.
“There was no response by the government. By detaining him, the government is
giving the message to the public that those who raise corruption issues will be
persecuted,” he said.
He added that such detentions belie the claims of normalcy and development
that the government keeps making. “This is illegal and against the basic ethos of
the constitution which are being violated,” Gupta said.
He said that similar actions were taken against people protesting against smart
meters and toll plaza. “This shows the intention of the administration towards
those raising serious questions about the actions of the government,” he added.
Gupta questioned the cyptic silence over the questions about alleged scams and
bunglings and reminded that it has yet to answer the public about alleged Jal
Jeevan mission scam involving Rs 13,000 crores, Jan Arogya yojna, Aptech and
mining scams. Instead, it is trying to silence all the critics, he added.
“The LG administration in Jammu and Kashmir is making attempts to crush all the
voices of dissent against the administration. It shows that the corrupt are shielded
and those who question are arrested,” he said.
“The youth of Jammu and Kashmir will not tolerate it. They will not be cowed
down by such tactics,” he further added.
