Imphal, Aug 19 : A Meitei organisation on Tuesday said that the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) has cancelled a question on the Manipur crisis from a recently held examination, which allegedly maligned the community.
Noting that no politics was involved in the matter, APSC Chairman Debaraj Upadhaya said question papers were set by teachers of various colleges and universities and the Commission cannot check them beforehand as they were “locked” by moderators.
“We received communication from the Assam Public Service Commission through e-mail informing us that the Commission has decided to cancel the question,” Meitei Heritage Society (MHS) functionary K Deben told PTI.
The MHS on Monday requested the APSC to issue a clarification regarding one of the multiple-choice questions, which was related to the Manipur crisis and was included in the Agricultural Development Officer Examination held on August 10.
The Meitei group claimed that the question and the subsequent answers did not reflect the role played by Kuki-Chin militants and Kuki-Zo civil society organisations in the ongoing Manipur crisis.
The MHS said the question on the Manipur crisis maligned the Meitei community and urged the Commission to “declare the question null and void, ensuring it is not used for evaluation purposes.”
“We appreciate the APSC’s action and hope no such instance is repeated that hurt sentiments of any community,” Deben said.
At least 260 people were killed in ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki communities and thousands rendered homeless since May 2023.
The APSC chairman told PTI: “We do not have any mala fide intention. We don’t have a view on any community because we are a neutral body. There is no politics involved. I cannot comment on the particular question as I have not seen it,” he said. (PTI)
