Candidates fail to reach Amritsar, miss teacher recruitment exam

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News service

Bathinda, December 9

Several candidates from Bathinda and adjoining districts missed their recruitment exam in Amritsar yesterday due to the blocking of traffic by protesting SAD leaders. The candidates were to appear for English and Hindi examinations conducted by the Education Recruitment Board to fill posts of master cadre in government schools.

Neelam Rani of Bathinda said: “The English exam was to begin at 9.30 am. We had left Bathinda at 4 am. We encountered road blockades at Harike, Zira and Patti. We showed our admit cards to the protesters and requested them to let us pass, but in vain. We finally turned back from Patti. This is the last year when I could have appeared for the exam as per the age criteria.”

Lovely, another candidate from Bathinda, had to appear for Hindi examination which was to begin at 2.30 pm. “We started from Bathinda at 7 am. At Moga, we were stopped by the police and diverted towards Jalandhar. From there, the police diverted us further towards Sultanpur Lodhi where a police naka was set up and despite repeated requests, they didn’t allow us to go further. They didn’t even let us travel back citing security concerns,” she said.

She said there were almost 15 candidates stuck at Sultanpur Lodhi. They stayed at a gurdwara and then left for Amritsar in the morning.

When the candidates contacted the board helpline number, they were asked to submit a representation to the board.

The recruitment board officials, however, conveyed that there was a slim chance that the examination be conducted again. “The protesters had announced their plans in advance. The candidates could have reached the centres a day in advance. Despite the protests, we registered close to 80 per cent attendance. The affected candidates may approach the board,” the officials said.