Srinagar : Amid ongoing COVID-19 lockdown the Jammu & Kashmir Bank has plunged into yet another controversy by scrapping the selection process conducted and almost completed for 1200 posts of banking associates and 250 positions of probationary officers under the directions of the administrative council of the Jammu & Kashmir Union Territory Government and subsequent approval of the newly constituted board of directors. While the bank is preparing to issue a fresh advertisement for a fresh selection process, the qualifiers of the scrapped selection process are readying to challenge the bank’s decision in the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. Meanwhile top mainstream parties National Conference, Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party , Congress, and Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) have censured the bank for what they call “arbitrary” scrapping and sought immediate restoration of the selection process. J&K Congress Chief Gh Ahmed Mir even called it a “huge scandal” and a “stigma” on the face of BJP controlled Union Territory Government in Jammu & Kashmir. He also demanded a probe into the recruitment process by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
A delegation of the aggrieved qualifiers of the scrapped selection process told Kashmir Horizon “the scrapping of the selection is a big fraud and nothing short of restoration of the selection process would be acceptable to them, saying that they will challenge the scrapping of the decision in the Jammu & Kashmir High Court and would also hit streets against the “arbitrary” decision of the bank immediately after lockdown in lifted. Saying that the IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selections) holds selection processes for all the leading public sector banks of the country attracting participation of not less than Once crore aspirants annually but no questions are over the transparency of the section process, the qualifiers said “ questions are only asked over the transparency of selection process of the J& K Bank conducted by the same IBPS which holds such examinations for one crore aspirants across India”. Alleging that a fraud has been committed to snatch the rights of the qualifier the delegation told Kashmir Horizon “we did not object even to an objectionable decision last year when cut off of 40% marks was applied to entire Jammu & Kashmir instead of 40% for Kashmir and 63% for Jammu”. They said that initially the J&K UT Government had announcement the scrapping of selections in February this year but the J&K Bank formally issued scrapping order from its HR departmeny on April 15 amid COVID-19 lockdown without offering explanations as was required and did not give it wide publicity for the general information of the people and the aspirants. Challenging the intervention of the Jammu & Kashmir Government the qualifiers questioned that why state and central governments in rest of the country are not imposing their orders over the banks in the selection processes of several top public sector banks. They even alleged that no wide publicity was given to the notification issued by the HR Department of the J&K Bank just to “play a fraud” silently and confuse the qualifiers.
When asked to react to the scrapping of the selection process by the Jammu & Kashmir Bank the senior National Conference leader and Member Parliament Mohammad Akbar Lone said “ the Jammu & Kashmir UT government has no right what so ever to meddle in the recruitment affairs of the J&K Bank. When the top banking recruiting agency known for transparency in the selection processes of country’s top public sector banks has completed the selection process, the results must be declared immediately and scrapping order should be withdrawn forthwith”. Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Buhari when contacted told Kashmir Horizon “scrapping decision already rejected by me must be withdrawn immediately and results of the selection process already completed must be declared immediately. If the transparency of selections by a top recruiting agency like IBPS is put to doubt, then better to black list it for the selections processes of other public sector banks. I seek the intervention of Prime Minister and the Finance Minister for immediate restoration of the selection process”. Jammu & Kashmir Congress Party President Gh Ahmad Mir told Kashmir Horizon over phone “this is a huge scandal and immediate revocation of the scrapping decision to restore the selection process for the purposes of appointments is the only way out. Narendra Modi led BJP government beats drums on crusade against corruption but sits over the scandal proved beyond doubt by critical evidences”. He also demanded a CBI probe into the selection process. When contacted Chairman Peoples Democratic Front Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen said “the scrapping decision is questionable on many counts and must be revoked immediately. The bank is not guided by the orders of the Jammu & Kashmir UT Government but by its own laws. Meddling of the Government in the recruitment affairs of the bank is high condemnable”.