Agartala, Feb. 14: Coming in the wake of a scandal over government job offers for the post of schoolteachers, the examination being conducted by Tripura Public Service Commission for 42 posts of Tripura Civil Service officers is being practically boycotted by candidates who had filed applications.

Of the 5,025 candidates who had filled in forms, only 2,710 appeared on Saturday, the first day. But on subsequent days, the attendance at the examination halls in schools and colleges across Agartala town dwindled amidst apprehension that ultimately only about 500 candidates will clear the examination for the coveted administrative posts.

“Where’s the point in taking pains to sit for the examination when bribes or political manipulation will ensure jobs? You have seen what has happened to job offers for the posts of teachers,” said Abhijit Som, an unemployed engineer, who had filed application for the examination.

Since the very first day, the examination has been dogged by controversy as a number of schools notified as examination centres had noseat numbers.

Those marked with chalk had been erased.

At some other centres, sweepers came to clean the halls minutes before the examination, sparking protests.

“On the very first day, a council observer suddenly barged into the hall and accused me of dereliction of duty. I protested and brought the matter to the notice of our principal Monideepa Debbarma,” said Debabrata Bhowmik of MBB college.

At the principal’s request, the council’s chairman J.M. Das rushed to the college and pacified the agitated invigilator.

“We pay the invigilators and expect the teachers and professors at examination halls to be watchful,” Das said, adding that the dispute had been sorted out.

In 1998, a whole bunch of question papers were leaked, triggering a statewide furore.

The nature of questions also drew ire from the student community.

In the paper on Indian Constitution and Five Year Plan some questions were allegedly out of the syllabus.

“There was a question in the planning section on desirability of applying for IMF loans and a very technical one on inflation which require a candidate to have a thorough knowledge of theoretical economics and not Five Year Plans,” Som said.

He complained that in the Constitution section, there was an objective question on “points considered by judges for judicial review” with multiple options.

“How can you answer this in a single sentence and in the four options, given that three were correct? he asked.