IMPHAL, NOVEMBER 10: Six major student organisations of Manipur have jointly condemned the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) today “for the gross negligence” during the Manipur Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination (MCSCCE), 2022 (Main), and demanded a high-level inquiry into the printing press responsible for the question paper mix-up that led to the cancellation of one of the examination papers on Sunday.
In a joint press release issued by the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), Manipuri Students’ Federation (MSF), Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA), Students’ Union of Kangleipak (SUK), and Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Sinpanglup (AIMS), the student bodies termed the incident as “highly irresponsible” and “unacceptable.”
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The examination was cancelled on November 9 when candidates appearing for the morning session were given the wrong paper Paper-V (General Studies-IV) instead of Paper-IV (General Studies-III). The MPSC later issued a clarification attributing the blunder to “technical and printing errors” caused by the printing press. The commission said the error occurred because no official is allowed to open or verify question papers before the examination to maintain confidentiality.
Following the cancellation, the commission rescheduled the examination for November 22, 2025, and warned the printing press not to repeat such errors in the future. MPSC also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the candidates, stating that the commission would approach the government regarding travel allowance issues for candidates who appeared at the Guwahati centre if complaints were raised.
However, the six student organisations have rejected MPSC’s explanation, demanding immediate formation of an independent inquiry committee to probe the “printing press involved and those responsible within MPSC.” They stated that the printing of question papers was done outside the state, raising serious concerns over the breach of confidentiality.
“The examination meant to recruit future administrators of Manipur cannot be handled with such carelessness. The incident has severely damaged the credibility of the state’s top recruitment body,” the joint statement said.
The student bodies further warned that failure to take decisive action against those responsible, including MPSC officials, could lead to intense public agitation. They also urged the state government not to re-engage the same printing press or any related agency in future examinations.