Guwahati, Nov. 4: Assam Public Service Commission chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul was arrested from his office here this evening for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam.
A team of Dibrugarh police, led by additional superintendent of police (security) Surjeet Singh Panesar, arrested him from the APSC office at Khanapara here around 5pm.
Dibrugarh superintendent of police Gautam Borah told The Telegraph that Paul was arrested in connection with a case (number 936/16) registered at Dibrugarh police station under Sections 7/13(1)(b)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Sections 120B and 420 of the IPC, following the arrest of assistant engineer of the town and country planning department, Dibrugarh, Nabakanta Patir, on October 27.
Patir was allegedly caught red-handed by Dibrugarh police while accepting Rs 10 lakh from a job aspirant, Anshumita Gogoi, at his rented house in Dibrugarh. According to Anshumita, a dental surgeon from Amguri in Sivasagar district who is working under the National Health Mission, Patir had guaranteed her a permanent job in the state health and family welfare department through the APSC for Rs 15 lakh. Patir, an acquaintance, had allegedly approached her after he came to know that she had appeared for the dental surgeon recruitment examination, 2016, conducted by the APSC to fill 60 posts in the health and family welfare department. Anshumita then approached the police, who laid a trap and, accordingly, she informed Patir that she would pay him Rs 10 lakh as the first instalment.
Panesar said Paul was arrested after they found sufficient evidence against him. He will be produced in the court of special judge, Assam, here tomorrow. A police source said Paul has been kept at the headquarters complex of the Special Branch of Assam police at Kahilipara here.
Paul, who is due to retire as the APSC chairman in December 2019, was appointed as an APSC member by the previous Tarun Gogoi government in 2008. He became chairman in-charge when his predecessor Geeta Basumatary retired from the post in 2012 and was appointed permanent chairman in December 2013.
A search is also on to apprehend absconding APSC member Samedur Rahman. "During investigation of the case against Patir, sufficient evidence was found against Paul and Rahman, showing their involvement in the cash-for-jobs racket," the source said.
The source claimed that Dibrugarh police had found the telephone numbers of Paul and Rahman in Patir's mobile phone and he was in regular touch with them over phone. "Texts messages regarding payment of money in lieu of jobs were also recovered from Patir's cellphone," he added.
The police have also found messages sent by many candidates to Patir with their names, roll numbers and optional subjects. They have seized Patir's bank account and conducted searches at his rented house in Dibrugarh and his permanent residence in Majuli.
On the basis of Patir's confession, the police had arrested Mabood Ali Choudhury, the personal security officer (PSO) of Rahman, from Rangiya in Kamrup district on Sunday. The police said Patir used to hand over the money to Choudhury who passed it on to Rahman.
The state government had asked the APSC to cancel the just-concluded recruitment process following Patir's arrest.
Several organisations, including the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and the Assam Public Works (APW), have been spearheading agitations demanding Paul's removal from the APSC. They have been alleging that he was mired in corruption.
The KMSS welcomed Paul's arrest and said this proved that their allegation about his involvement in corruption was true. "Paul's arrest will bring to light more corrupt practices in the APSC," Dhaijya Konwar, chief organising secretary of the KMSS, said.
Earlier, the KMSS had also alleged that the previous Congress-led government had not taken any action against Paul since he enjoyed the blessings of the then chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Gogoi had denied the allegations.
On October 15 last year, Gauhati High Court had directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations of corruption and holding of disproportionate assets by Paul, his wife Sunanda, brother Rajeev and driver Sanjay Saha. The Supreme Court had, however, stayed Gauhati High Court's order on November 20 last year.
In September this year, the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau of Assam police had initiated a regular inquiry into allegations that Rahman had amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Additional reporting by Avik Chakraborty in Dibrugarh