In Assam, ex-IPS officer, BJP leader among 36 accused named in charge sheet in police job scam

The written exam to select 597 sub-inspectors to Assam Police was cancelled on September 20 after the question paper got leaked.

Updated on: Dec 18, 2020, 19:49:02 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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A former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, a ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and 34 others have been named as accused by the Assam Police in a charge sheet filed on Friday in connection with the police recruitment scam.

The case was registered on the basis of an FIR lodged in September by Pradeep Kumar, the then chairman of the police recruitment board. (assampolice.gov.in.)

The 2621 page long charge sheet filed in court of the special judge under several sections of Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act, Arms Act, Assam Police Act and Prevention of Corruption Act pertains to leakage of question paper of the written exam to recruit sub-inspectors in Assam Police.

The case was registered on the basis of an FIR lodged in September by Pradeep Kumar, the then chairman of the police recruitment board. Those named as accused include retired IPS officer Prasanta Kumar Dutta, senior police officer Kumar Sanjit Krishna and BJP leader Dibon Deka.

The written exam to select 597 sub-inspectors to Assam Police was cancelled on September 20 after the question paper got leaked.

Dutta and Deka had allegedly fleeced many candidates for the SI post by assuring jobs in lieu of cash. Deka is alleged to have procured the question paper ahead of the written test.

Police investigation revealed that a day ahead of the test, many candidates had taken a mock exam in a Guwahati hotel. Nearly 70 of these candidates were staying at one of the five hotels Dutta owns in Guwahati. Krishna is accused of having played a role in leaking the question paper.

As per the charge sheet filed in 87 days of the first arrest in the case, during investigation police teams seized Rs 6.26 crore in cash, 32 mobile phones, 11 digital video recorders, 5 laptops and 10 vehicles from 24 crime scenes spread across four districts.

The charge sheet names 183 persons as prosecution witnesses. Confessional statements of 5 accused persons and statements of 32 witnesses have been recorded by judicial magistrate.

The written exam to recruit sub-inspectors was conducted again in November and the results declared this month.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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