The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The unsuccessful candidates of the second-phase result of the 27th BCS examination yesterday burnt effigy of Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman Dr Saadat Hossain in front of Fine Arts Department of the Dhaka University.

Some comments of the PSC Chairman triggered fresh outrage among them who had been staging continuous protests programmes, including hunger strikes.

They demanded cancellation of the second-phase result and immediate removal of Dr Saadat accusing him of depriving a good number of meritorious candidates.

Dr Saadat on Tuesday told the media that he was not ready to accommodate all the PSC examinees who qualified in the first phase of 27th BCS examination but failed in second phase complying with the governments commitment to this effect.

The government has promised the first batch of 27th BCS qualifiers, who failed to pass in the second-round retakes, logical solutions on 'humanitarian grounds'.

The advisory council committee on administrative reforms and good governance on Nov 16 had been directed to formulate necessary recommendations with a view to eliminating the complexities centering on the 27th BCS exam results.

The PSC originally posted an advertisement on June 28, 2005 for the 27th BCS exams. As many as 1,36,105 people applied and 1,18,339 took the exams. Of them, over 26,000 examinees passed written tests.

The authorities recalled 16,418 for vivas. The PSC declared 3,567 candidates successful after the oral tests, asking authorities to appoint them.

However, allegations of question leaks, politicisation, bribery and nepotism had marred the transparency of the 'first batch' results.

The interim cabinet cancelled the viva results on May 30 2007, to "restore trust of the people in the Public Service Commission" and establish transparency in the wake of allegations of irregularities.

The new results were published on Sept 23 after 16 months of dispute and legal wrangles. Some 10,412 examinees passed in the 'second batch' after new vivas were given.