The Assam government has ordered suspension of mobile internet services across the state for a three-and-half hour period on September 15 during an examination for recruitment to vacant grade three positions in the state government.

The internet services were being suspended “in the interest of holding free, fair and transparent public examination” and to prevent law and order problems, said the notification issued on Saturday.

Mobile internet and Wi-Fi services across the state will remain suspended between 10 am and 1.30 pm, the order said. Voice calls and internet through broadband services based on fixed telephone lines will remain operational.

The notification issued by Ajay Tewari, the state’s additional chief secretary, home and political department, said that it had been observed in past instances that some “unscrupulous elements resorted to unfair means” using various mobile applications such as Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Telegram and YouTube, which are based on internet or Wi-Fi connectivity.

“[State government] does not want any loopholes in the examination process which might have the potential to create doubt in the public mind on the fairness of the recruitment process undertaken by the government or/and thereby creating law and order issues in the state having bearing on public safety,” the notification said.

There are apprehension that anti-social elements or organised groups will try to take advantage of the situation “by resorting to rumour-mongering through social media and may try to destabilise the process of examination”, the state government added.

The examination on Sunday will take place between 10.30 am and 1.30 pm.

The state government said that 11.2 lakh candidates are scheduled to appear for the exam across 2,305 centres in Assam. Of these, 429 of these centres had been identified as sensitive because of their geographical location and “past history of cheating and other malpractices”, it added.

In February, The Indian Express reported that over the last five years, paper leaks had resulted in the cancellation of 41 recruitment exams across 15 states, hampering the employment hopes of 1.4 crore applicants.

Also read: Will stricter laws prevent paper leaks?