The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Nagaland has raised serious concerns over the recently conducted Forest Guard recruitment examination by the Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change. In a strongly worded statement issued by its media cell, the student body expressed “deep disappointment” with the process, citing multiple irregularities and lapses that, according to them, “raise serious questions regarding the credibility and transparency of the entire process.”
Referring to numerous complaints and feedback received from aspirants, NSUI stated it felt “compelled to bring several serious grievances into the public domain and urge the department to take immediate steps for redressal.”
OMR sheets omitted, correction pens allowed
“First and foremost,” the NSUI noted, “the manner in which the examination was conducted was highly unprofessional.” The union highlighted that candidates were not provided with OMR sheets—considered a standard feature in any competitive examination. Instead, they were instructed to mark their answers directly in the test booklet, which was then collected by the department. NSUI alleged that “there were also reports of correction pens being brought into the examination hall,” creating “a high potential for manipulation and tampering, which cannot and should not be ignored.”
Test booklets allegedly found with department employee
The union further pointed out that “it has been widely circulated on social media that the test booklet was later found in the hands of an employee of the department.” NSUI called the department’s response to the issue “vague and unsatisfactory,” expressing concern over the implications of such an incident.
Violations in eligibility and examination protocols
In a series of additional claims, NSUI stated that “candidates who did not qualify the mandatory walking test were still allowed to appear for the written examination.” It also alleged that “overage candidates [were] being permitted to sit for the exam in violation of the eligibility criteria.”
Adding to the confusion, the union said, “conflicting instructions regarding negative marking” were issued at different centres. “While some centres informed candidates that there would be no negative marking, others did not,” resulting in what NSUI described as “widespread confusion and unfair disadvantage to many.”
Identity verification lapses and impersonation risks
Perhaps most disturbingly, NSUI claimed that “in numerous examination centres across the state, there was no proper verification of documents to confirm the identity of the candidates.”
Such lapses, the union said, “not only violate basic examination protocols but also open the door for impersonation,” thereby “compromising the credibility and fairness of the recruitment process.”
NSUI to file RTI for transparency
NSUI Nagaland announced that it will be “filing an RTI once the recruitment process is completed to seek factual clarity on these irregularities.” The union concluded by urging the Department of Forest, Environment and Climate Change to “address these issues transparently and restore the trust of the aspirants.”
