Assam Public Service Commission member Samedur Rahman was arrested on Wednesday from Rangia near Guwahati on charges of corruption in the organisation as the State government has formed a Special Supervisory Team (SST) to monitor the ongoing probe.
On November 7, the State government had formed a SST to monitor the ongoing probe into alleged corruption in Assam Public Service Commission by its beleaguered chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul.
The police said Rahman, who was declared an ‘absconder’, was apprehended from his house in Rangia around 1 am and taken to Guwahati for interrogation.
The police from neighbouring Baksa district, where he was reportedly in hiding, surrounded Rahman’s house in Rangia acting on a tip-off. They informed the police in Guwahati and the special investigating police team from Dibrugarh, which earlier arrested APSC chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul on November 4, the police said.
Rahman was brought to Guwahati for interrogation to the 4th Assam Police Battalion (APBN) in Kahilipara where the APSC chairman was also being questioned, the sources said.
Rahman’s name came to light in connection with the cash-for-job scam when his personal security officer Mabud Ali Choudhury was arrested, based on arrested Dibrugarh Town Planning engineer Naba Kanta Patir’s statement.
‘Demanded Rs 10 lakh bribe’
According to Investigating Officer Dibrugarh district, Additional Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Paneshar, on October 27, Patir was arrested on a complaint filed by a dental surgeon that he had promised to give her a job through the APSC for a bribe of Rs 10 lakh.
Based on Patir’s statement during interrogation, Choudhury was arrested the next day, Mr Paneshar said.
Interrogation of Patir and Rahman and phone conversations about money transactions between Patir and the APSC chairman revealed strong evidences about a big racket involving Rakesh Paul and Rahman, the police official said.
Paul,who was picked up from his office before his arrest, was being currently interrogated at the 4th APBN and he is stated to have disclosed the names of politicians, government officials, film personnel involved in the APSC recruitment racket.
Meanwhile, the Assam Government has directed the police to file a report on its investigations into the scam prior to a crucial Cabinet meeting likely to be held on Wednesday and take up the issue of suspension or removal of Paul.
As per the legal provisions only the President can remove a person from the chairman’s post of the APSC, any State PSC or the UPSC under Article 317 after making a reference to the Supreme Court for “misbehaviour” or any other reason as recommended by the State Cabinet for removal.
On November 7, CID sleuths had sealed three rooms, including confidential room and answer script strong room, in the APSC headquarters office in Guwahati.
For the first time in the history of the Assam Public Service Commission, its chairman has been arrested.
APSC has been mired in controversies with allegations of corruption in selection and appointment of Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS), Education Service, allied services and all gazetted posts for exchange of hefty amounts of money. - PTI
