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Oppn blasts Assam govt over arrest of ‘whistleblower’ in alleged job exam scam
A political blame-game has broken out in Assam over the arrest of a youth who recently raised corruption charges in recruitment exams.
Opposition parties slammed the BJP-led state government for the arrest of the man, Victor Das, who said there was graft in the hiring process for 26,000 Grade III and IV positions. Opposition leaders said the "real culprits" should be punished and not the “whistleblower.”
Das had tweeted a few days ago, tagging chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and director general of police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, stating that some officials and former MLAs were asking for bribes in exchange of securing seats in the ongoing recruitment exams. He was arrested on Friday.
"One Victor Das has been arrested for spreading false rumours and indulging in a conspiracy to foment discord between various sections of society over selection to Government posts," the Guwahati Police had tweeted.
Opposition parties have since been hitting out at the state government for the action.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, a top leader of BJP in the northeast, said, "These are mentally very weak people who claim that the BJP will benefit by giving jobs. He alleged that former MLAs demanded money, but could not tell any name. He gave some vehicle numbers. Is this a James Bond film where someone comes in a car and demands money?"
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Congress state unit chief Bhupen Kumar Borah said he went to meet the youth at Panbazar Police Station but was denied permission.
"Today with the APCC team I was stopped & not allowed to meet Victor Das, who is in police custody, whereas he was the whistleblower. We shall not only fight against the injustice meted to him but also fight for the unemployed youth of the state, reeling under this corrupt BJP govt," Borah tweeted.
Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi said there is "no democracy" in the state.
Sharing a cartoon of Mahatma Gandhi's famous monkeys on Twitter, the Aam Aadmi Party's Assam unit said people should remain mute, deaf and blind else they will have to share the fate of the complainant.
SFI and DYFI state units said Das’s arrest has only raised more doubts over the issue and demanded a high-level probe into the incident.
About 14.30 lakh candidates have applied for 26,000 Grade III and IV posts of various government departments scheduled between August 21 and September 11 in three phases.
The state government was also heavily criticised for suspending mobile internet services in many districts to prevent possible malpractices during the first two exams.
(With inputs from agencies)
