Mobile internet in Assam suspended again to conduct recruitment test

Assam government suspended mobile internet for four hours for the second time this month on Sunday in 27 districts where recruitment tests were being held for government jobs.

Recruitment in grade III posts in various departments of the state government is under way. On August 21, internet was suspended for recruitment in grade IV jobs.

Many had opposed the suspension saying that it badly affected business and other activities that depended on mobile internet. But the state government ignored such protests, saying that the move was necessary to check use of unfair means by candidates and others.

The state government got a boost on Friday when Gauhati High court dismissed a writ petition seeking a stay on the government's decision. Raju Prosad Sarma, a social worker in Guwahati had moved the court seeking a directive from the court for a stay on the internet suspension.

Over 14.30 lakh candidates are expected to appear in the written tests being conducted in three phases to fill up 30,000 government posts. Tests for grade III posts will be conducted again on September 11.

The Opposition Congress, however, said that such strong measures pointed to the state government's failure to conduct an examination without causing inconvenience to others. In a letter to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress MP from Nagaon Pardyut Bordoloi on August 20 said that the Telegraph Act 1985 and the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services Rules 2017 empower the government to suspend internet on the occurence of a public emergency or in the interest of public safety only.