Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to transfer the Senior Superintendent of Police, Prayagraj, even as the police was probing cases of anomalies in the recruitment exam of 69,000 assistant teachers.
She wondered if the transfer of Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj at a time when he “exposed such a big scam” would “hurt” the investigation. “Whatever the reason maybe, such officers who carry out their duties fearlessly and with honesty deserve full support of the public,” Ms. Vadra tweeted.
In a late Monday night decision, the State government transferred 14 IPS officers. However, only one of them, Mr. Pankaj, a 2010-batch IPS officer, has not been given a new post and is in the wait-list. The government did not offer any explanation for the decision, as transfers are considered routine practice.
But Opposition parties as well many social media users linked the transfer to the recruitment exam investigation given that Mr. Pankaj was not deputed a new posting.
Uttar Pradesh Congress vice-president Pankaj Malik was more direct in his allegation. He said the SSP was transferred only because he was probing the “recruitment scam.”
‘Yogi wants to protect big people’
“Yogi government wants to protect the big people involved in this scam,” said Mr. Malik.
In a message on the official Twitter page of Prayagraj SSP, Mr. Pankaj thanked people of the district, following which Ms. Vadra retweeted it.
Meanwhile, he is being tested for COVID-19 after his gunner tested positive.
The Prayagraj police recently arrested 11 persons, including medical officer K.L Patel and a Lekhpal, for allegedly taking money to help candidates clear the teacher recruitment test for 69,000 posts. The Special Task Force was handed the investigation.
The accused persons would prepare the answer sheet for the question paper and give it to the candidates in exchange for a hefty sum. The accused had allegedly got the question paper leaked through bluetooth, or in collusion with the in-charge of the examination centre, said police.