APSC’s cash-for-job scam : Assam police arrests 13 ACS, APS officials
Guwahati, Nov 8 (IBNS): The Assam police on Wednesday arrested 13 officials of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other associate services in connection with the cash-for-job scam in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).
According to reports, the alleged scam took place during the previous Congress regime.
Dibrugarh police arrested the 13 officials from different parts of the state in the wee hours of Wednesday.
These officials were declared successful in the 2013 APSC examination and appointed by the state government in 2015.
A top police official said that, 12 more officials are likely to be arrested soon.
“All the officials were arrested after forensic reports confirming that, they have been involved in illegal process to get jobs under APSC. The investing team of Dibrugarh police led by Additional SP SS Panesar had collected handwriting samples of 25 officials on June 9 last and the samples were sent to the forensic laboratory. The investigating team collected handwriting samples of the officials after their answer scripts found doubtful ,” the top police official said.
Earlier, Dibrugarh police had seized 1,265 answer scripts of the APSC examination held in 2013 and 2015 from the strong room of the commission's office in Guwahati.
The arrested officials are Harshajyoti Bora, DSP (Border), Guwahati, Sabira Imran, DSP, 12th Assam Police Battalion, Sonitpur, Jayanta Kumar Nath, 7th Bn DSP, Kokrajhar, Sudipta Goswami Bhattacharya, Employment Officer, Karimganj, Debajit Bora, Election Officer, Hamren, Pallabika Sarma Choudhury, Circle Officer, Darrang, Hemanta Hillol Saikia, DSP, Special Branch, Jorhat, Dipankar Khanikar, ACS, Sivasagar, Anirudha Rai, Circle Officer, Lakhimpur, Himangshu Choudhury, Circle Officer, Agamani, Amarjit Das, Employment Officer, Sonitpur, Raju Saha, Labour Inspector, Barpeta and Kunal Deka.
Meanwhile, Assam DGP Mukesh Sahay said that a few more officials on charges of allegedly bribing their way to get job are likely to be arrested soon.
The Dibrugarh police questioned the arrested officials at the head quarter of Assam Police Special Branch at Kahilipara in Guwahati.
Earlier, Dibrugarh police had arrested three ACS officers, Bhaskarjyoti Dev Sharma, Bhaskar Dutta and Amit Sharma, in connection with the scam and later the state government had dismissed them from service.
The BJP-led Assam government unearthed the alleged scam in 2016 and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed the Assam police to probe into the scandal.
Police had already arrested former chairman of APSC Rakesh Paul, and associate members Samedur Rahman, Basanta Doley, Pabitra Koiborta, Nabakanta Patir.
On August 31 last, the Gauhati High Court had granted bail to 10 accused, who were arrested in connection with the cash-for-job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
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