PSI scam: Main protestor named as accused

He is one of the 22 candidates, who were found to have tampered with their optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets to secure a higher ranking in the exam.

Published on: May 3, 2022, 10:02:50 IST

By Yamini C S

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After learning that the results of last October's PSI recruitment exams will be discarded and a fresh exam will be conducted, several PSI exam candidates protested at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Friday, demanding posting orders. Of these candidates, Jagrut S, who led the protests after requesting police permission for the same, has now been listed as an accused in the PSI scam.

Over 400 candidates held protests, who have come to Bengaluru from many districts and are willing to sit on hunger strike until the re-examination order is cancelled. (Twitter)

He is one of the 22 candidates, who were found to have tampered with their optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets to secure a higher ranking in the exam. Another protestor, identified as Rachana Hanumanta from North Karnataka, is also named in the FIR.

The other candidates named in the FIR have been identified as Gajendra B, Somanath Mallikarjunanaih Hiremath, Raghuveer H U, Chethan Kumara M C, Venkatesh Gouda B C, Manoj A P, Manukumar G R, Siddalingappa Padashavagi, Mamatesh Gowda S, Yashwanth Gowda H, Narayana C M, Nagesh Gowda C S, Madhu R, Yashwanth Deep C, Dileep Kumar C K, Shivaraja G, Praveen Kumar H R, Surinarayana K, Nagaraj C M and Raghavendra G C.

Moreover, the fresh FIR, filed by CID at the High Grounds police station on Saturday also names seven of the top state-wide rank holders as accused. With more arrests being made everyday, the arrest count in the scam has reached 45.

Meanwhile, the ongoing political spat between Congress and the BJP grew louder amid investigations into the police sub-inspector recruitment scam after the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President D K Shivkumar alleged that the state's Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan was involved in influencing the Crime Investigation Department's (CID) probe.

Speaking to reporters, D K Shivakumar said, “I don’t have the exact details, but what I got to know is someone either the home minister or some minister has directed the CID officers to release an accused and given instructions that no further inquiry should be conducted against him. That a minister’s younger brother or relatives were also involved in the scam.”

C N Ashwath Narayan then hit back on Monday and stated that the accusations of D K Shivakumar and Congress leader V S Ugrappa against him are baseless and also said that he would take legal action against 'allegations without evidence'.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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