The Punjab Congress on Friday alleged that the reported cheating in the recruitment examination for 454 pharmacists took place with the connivance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and demanded the resignation of health minister Dr Balbir Singh, besides seeking a high-level, independent probe into the matter.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, former education minister Pargat Singh, former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and former MLA Kushaldeep Singh “Kikki” Dhillon alleged that the examination was compromised through an organised interstate cheating network. They claimed the use of bluetooth devices, the absence of signal jammers at examination centres and serious lapses in the conduct of the recruitment test.
Pargat Singh alleged that the irregularities could not have occurred without political patronage and referred to the police FIR, saying it contained facts warranting an impartial investigation. Dhillon alleged that a principal had deployed several relatives on examination duty and claimed to possess documentary evidence to support the charge.
They demanded that all officials found responsible for violating examination norms be identified and proceeded against.