Allegations of Massive Irregularities Rock SOFED-Conducted NHM CHO Written Examination, Demand Grows for Independent Inquiry
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, July 16, 2026
Serious allegations of massive irregularities have emerged over the written examination conducted by the Society for Entrepreneurship Development (SoFED) for the recruitment of Community Health Officers (CHO) under the National Health Mission (NHM), Tripura. Following the publication of the written test marks, a section of candidates has demanded an independent inquiry, alleging that the declared results contain unusual scoring patterns that merit a thorough investigation.
The recruitment, advertised under Recruitment Notification No. 01/2025-26, was conducted for filling 126 contractual Community Health Officer posts under the State Health & Family Welfare Society (NHM), with SoFED entrusted to conduct the written examination.
The controversy erupted after SoFED published the written examination marks of candidates. Several aspirants have alleged that the result sheet itself reflects unusual trends, claiming that around 201 candidates secured more than 80 marks out of 100, while nearly 19 candidates obtained exactly 97.75 marks. They contend that such a large number of exceptionally high and identical scores is unusual for a competitive recruitment examination and deserves independent scrutiny. The published result sheet also contains several candidates scoring 98.00, 95.50, 93.25, 91.50 and 91.00 marks oyt of 100, further fuelling speculation among candidates regarding the evaluation process.
Aspirants have alleged that unless the evaluation process is independently verified, doubts over the credibility of the recruitment exercise will persist. They have called for the publication of the official answer key, disclosure of candidates' OMR sheets or response sheets, verification of the evaluation methodology and a comprehensive inquiry into the written examination process to ensure that deserving candidates are not deprived of employment opportunities.
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