Naharlagun witnessed a solemn gathering as thousands congregated to honor the memory of Lt Gyamar Padang, the whistleblower of the APPSC paper leakage scandal, on his first death anniversary at his residence. Lt. Gyamar Padang, who courageously exposed the APPSC fiasco, breathed his last on May 5, 2023, at the Asian Institution Gastroenterology Hospital in Hyderabad, succumbing to a prolonged illness.Prominent figures including Techi Rana, an Independent candidate representing PAJSC, Techi Puru, Chairman of the Pan Arunachal Joint Steering Committee, Gyamar Tana, General Secretary of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee, Bamang Tago, Secretary-General of the Arunachal Olympics Association, and social activists Taw Paul, Sol Dodum, Nabam Tama, and Tai Chali, along with many others, paid their respects to Lt Gyamar Padang.
During the commemoration, a statue was unveiled at his gravesite, and a two-minute silence was observed in his honor. Calls were made to erect a statue of honesty in Lt Gyamar Padang’s honor, along with advocating for the introduction of a whistleblower act in the assembly. Padang’s pivotal role in exposing corruption within Arunachal Pradesh’s premier recruiting agency was remembered fondly, with Techi Puru expressing gratitude to the people of Arunachal for their unwavering support in the fight against the paper leakage issue. However, Puru criticized the government’s efforts, deeming their response to the committee’s demands as inadequate and insincere.
Furthermore, Puru dismissed assurances made by the new Chairman of APPSC, Prof Pradip Lingfa, regarding the implementation of robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for future exams, citing past failures to fulfill similar promises. Lt Gyamar Padang’s revelation in 2022 had exposed the rampant buying and selling of exam papers within the commission.
