Assam job scam: Handwriting samples to be collected by February

GUWAHATI: The Assam Police’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC) branch is likely to conclude the exercise to collect handwriting samples of all 144 government officials from the state’s social welfare department, accused of secuing appointments by unfair means, shortly.
Since December, police have collected handwriting samples of 48 officials.

The police wing has been probing a multi-crore scam in the department since 2016. Investigation has revealed that several officials of the department had paid huge cash for the jobs. All these officials were recruited in 2015-16.

“In the first week of December, 144 officials were asked to appear before the V&AC to submit their handwriting samples and record their statements. We hope the process will be over within February,” said a senior official of the V&AC wing.

A similar procedure was undertaken in the cash-for job-scam in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) where many civil servants, police and allied service officials were arrested after such handwriting tests.

“Since the officials were selected through the APSC during the tenure of Rakesh Paul and others involved in the cash-for-job scam, it’s important to crosscheck their selections too,” the official added.

The vigilance wing took up the case following chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s order for conducting an inquiry to find the details of a possible scam to the tune of Rs 2,250 crore in the state’s social welfare department. An internal report had revelead that a large amount of government fund was allegedly diverted in the name of supplying nutritious food to some nine lakh children who never existed.

Last year, the former director of the state’s social welfare department, Kumud Chandra Kalita, was arrested for his alleged role in the scam. Before that, another IAS officer, Dilip Borthakur, was also held. At least 11 people were chargesheeted by the investigation agency earlier.

The anti-corruption wing has also interrogated three former ministers of the erstwhile Congress government in connection with the scam. They are Ajanta Neog, Akon Bora and Gautam Roy.