A day after the special task force (STF) registered an FIR in the transport constable recruitment scam, the atmosphere at STF headquarters and its police station was tense and subdued.
None of the STF officers or lower-rank staff appeared willing to talk, and whosoever was asked about the FIR, lodged on Monday night in a hush-hush manner, denied any such development.
It was director general of police (DGP) Surendra Singh who finally confirmed that an FIR had indeed been registered and the STF would proceed with further investigation in the matter now.
The denial by STF officers throughout the day about the FIR raised an obvious question - Who the STF is afraid of and why STF officers were denying having lodged an FIR?
HT contacted almost all AIG and DSP-rank officers of STF engaged in investigation into the multi-layered MPPEB scam, but all of them denied that any such FIR was lodged. Even additional director general of police (ADG) Sudhir Sahi preferred to keep mum on the matter.
In fact, FIR into transport constable recruitment scam was being inordinately delayed. Opposition Congress had alleged 19 candidates from Gondia town of Maharashtra, the homotown of chief minister's wife Sadhna Singh, were selected in the test, a charge vehemently denied by transport minister Bhupendra Singh. The transport minister claimed that all the candidates selected in the test were domicile of MP.
{{/usCountry}}In fact, FIR into transport constable recruitment scam was being inordinately delayed. Opposition Congress had alleged 19 candidates from Gondia town of Maharashtra, the homotown of chief minister's wife Sadhna Singh, were selected in the test, a charge vehemently denied by transport minister Bhupendra Singh. The transport minister claimed that all the candidates selected in the test were domicile of MP.
{{/usCountry}}Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Satyadev Katare had demanded that high school result sheets of all the candidates who passed the test be presented in the House to ascertain their domicile status as certificates issued by tehsildars could be fake. But it was not done.
Police inspector Ajay Powar, who was arrested by STF in connection with sub-inspector recruitment scam-2012, had reportedly told interrogators that he had also got his son Abhijeet Powar and one more candidate selected as transport constable. Abhijeet was earlier selected as SI in MP Police but he refused to join and preferred to join as transport constable.
STF sources said that Ajay Powar, during interrogation, had also revealed the names of several big-shots who had got their candidates selected as transport constable.
After dilly dallying for over one year, the STF on Monday registered a case against 34 persons, most of them being candidates. The written exam of transport constable was organised in August 2012 for 332 vacancies and about 56,450 candidates appeared in the exam. The exam was conducted by MPPEB.