Youth Services and Sports Department Kupwara blatantly fudged interview scores of "blue-eyed" candidates to push their selection for Rehber-e-Khel posts, according to official documents and sources.
According to information revealed under RTI Act, there are several candidates, most of them relatives of the employees working in the department, who have been conferred more points in interview, leaving the meritorious candidates frustrated and demoralized.
In Drugmulla zone, at least seven candidates have been conferred more than 11 out of 15 marks allotted for the interview to ensure their selection for the 12 vacancies. Two of them even have been given whopping 13.75 and 13.50 marks to make up for their meager academic marks and ensure they are selected.
Figuring at serial number 11 and 7 respectively, the candidates having 37.29 and 41. 24 marks out of 85 marks allotted for academics have been conferred highest points to shore up their overall grade to 51.09 and 54.75 respectively.
Dropped candidates like one figuring at serial number 15, have been given paltry 5.25 out of 15 marks despite him having 45.35 marks in academics.
Similarly, the candidate who figures at serial number 13 has been given only 5.75 marks to exclude him from the list even as he possessed 45.08 academic points.
The candidate figuring at serial number 14 has been conferred 8.75 marks even as his academic points stand at 41.85.
In all twenty-nine candidates were in fray for the selection in Drugmulla zone against 12 vacancies and none among the seventeen candidates have been given double-digit marks in while all but one selected candidates have been conferred 11.25 to 13.75 marks.
It has also been reliably learnt that at least six selected candidates have their relatives working in the youth services and sports department Kupwara. The two candidates who have been given 13.50 marks (at serial number 7) and 13.75 marks (at serial number 11) are brother and cousin brother of an official working in Youth Services and Sports Office (DYSO) Kupwara and also relative of District Youth Services and Sports Officer (DYSSO) who happened to be one of the members of the selection committee.
Ironically, the deputy commissioner Kupwara despite the mandate of law was not part of the selection committee and he had sub-delegated powers to assistant commissioner (Revenue) Kupwara and additional Deputy Commissioner Handwara for conduct of the interviews on behalf of him vide order DCK/N/Estt/PS/2018/58/268, dated 19.06.2018.
The candidate who figures at serial number 4 and was conferred 11.50 marks in interview also happens to be the nephew of the officer at DYSO while three others happen to be the relatives of another official of DYSO who is presently posted at BHS Drugmulla (candidate figuring at serial number 1 with 10.25 marks in interview and candidate at serial number 10 with 11.50 marks) while other candidate (figuring at serial number 6 and conferred 11.25 marks) is the brother of PEM Handwara.
If sources are to be believed, the selection list for Drugmulla was framed three times and previous two lists were changed to oust the meritorious candidates at the behest of the officers of the youth services and sports department, two of them having remained posted from 2003 and 2010 respectively.
In Trehgam Zone also, at least five candidates who happen to be the relatives of the officials working in the department have also made it to the list and they too have been conferred whopping marks in the interview of 13.75 (2 candidates—one nephew of PEM HSS Panzgam and brother of PET attached to DYSSO Kupwara), 13.50 (one candidate— son in law of ZPEO Handwara), 11.25 (one candidate—sister of PEM GHSS Treghgam) and 10.0 (one candidate—PeM MS Panzgam).
The candidates who have been shown the door urged authorities to look into the “fraud” and ensure that only deserving ones make it to the lists.
“Tilting of the scale against the more meritorious by providing for unreasonable weightage in interview at the expense of meritorious, is arbitrary and has the potentiality of converting the merit into de-merit and de-merit into merit,” the candidates said.
“Giving any weightage which has no relation to the merit and excellence of a candidate deserves to be rejected and the senior officials especially deputy commissioner Kupwara should take note it,” they added.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Baseer Ahmad Khan has ordered an inquiry after the dropped out candidates submitted a representation, alleging fraud in the selection list. The District Administration Kupwara constituted a committee into inquiry the allegations. Ironically, the inquiry team consists of officer who was part of the selection panel against whom there are allegations of nepotism and favoritism.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Anshul Garg told GNS that selection list for Durgmulla zone has been put on hold.
Asked about comments on alleged fraud, the deputy commissioner said: “it’s being already looked into.”(GNS)