APSC’s cash-for-job scam : Police arrests BJP MP daughter, 18 other government officers

Police arrested Assam Police Service (APS) officer Pallavi Sharma, daughter of Assam BJP MP RP Sharma, who represented Tezpur Lok Sabha seat, and 18 other Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other allied service officers after handwriting verification of the government officers at the Special Branch of Assam police at Kahilipara in Guwahati.

Earlier, the Dibrugarh police, who investigating the infamous job scam, have asked the 19 government officials to appear at the Special Branch of Assam police at Kahilipara in Guwahati on Wednesday for handwriting verification.

The Dibrugarh police have arrested 13 ACS officer, 3 APS officers and one District Transport Officer (DTO), one Tax Superintendent and one Tax Inspector in connection with the scam.

The arrested officers are, Suranjita Hazarika (DTO), Utpal Bhuyan (ACS), Barnali Das (ACS), Susovan Das (ACS), Dhruvojyoti Chakraborty (ACS), Manzoor Ilahi Laskar (ACS), Moon Mazoomdar (ACS), Mustafa Ahmed Borbhuyan (ACS), Saibur Rahman Borbhuyan (ACS), Monika Teronpi (ACS), Ganesh Chandra Das (ACS), Srabanti Sen Gupta (ACS), Deepsikha Phukan (ACS), Leena Krishna Kakati (ACS), Gulshan Daolagpu (APS), Pallavi Sharma (APS), Bhargav Phukan (APS), Rituraj Neog (Tax Superintendent ) and Nipon Kumar Pathak (Tax Inspector) and they have been accused of obtaining the job under APSC through unfair means.

Investigating officer and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Dibrugarh police Surajeet Singh Panesar said that, police today had arrested 19 officers including 13 ACS officers, 3 APS officers, one Tax Superintendent and one Tax Inspector and one DTO.

“We have not concerned about who is who. As per report, whoever is there, we are going against him and we have done it. We will take action against other when we will receive reports,” Surajeet Singh Panesar said.

Police has arrested 54 government officials so far in connection with the cash-for-job scam.

On June 20, Assam government had sacked 13 Assam Civil Service (ACS) officers from their services with immediate effect, who were arrested in connection with the cash-for-job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

The officers, who have been sacked by the Assam government are – Dipak Khanikar, Dwithun Borgoyary, Debajit Bora, Pallabi Sarma Choudhury, Anirudhya Roy, Himangshu Choudhury, Kunal Das, Kamal Debnath, Geetali Doley, Badrul Islam Choudhury, Rajarshi Sen Deka, Rumi Saikia and Nishamoni Deka.

Earlier, Assam government had suspended 24 officers of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other allied services and sacked 3 other ACS officers, who were arrested by the Dibrugarh police in connection with the cash-for-job scam.

The Dibrugarh police had already arrested 34 government officers in connection with the scam.

The entire scam has been came to light after, Dibrugarh police had arrested an engineer  named Naba Kanta Patir from Upper Assam’s Dibrugarh district after they caught him red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a lady doctor to provide a secured government job on October 27 in 2016.

Following the incident, Dibrugarh police had registered a case at Dibrugarh police station (case no 936/16) and arrested then chairman of APSC Rakesh Paul from Guwahati and later arrested few more persons including former members of APSC Samedur Rahman, Basanta Doley, Pabitra Kaiborta, Musharaf Hussain, Mabud Ali Choudhury, three ACS officers Bhaskarjyoti Dev Sharma, Bhaskar Dutta and Amit Sharma.

The investigating team had also grilled several officers of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and other allied services for their alleged involvement with the scam.

On August 31 last year, the Gauhati High Court had granted bail to 10 accused persons including three Assam Civil Service (ACS) officials, who were arrested in connection with the cash-for-job scam of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)