New Delhi: In a massive crackdown against corruption, the Assam government suspended 21 state civil, police, and allied service officers for their alleged involvement in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) 'cash for job' scam, PTI reported on Friday citing sources.
In a suspension order issued on Thursday, the personnel department said these officers were beneficiaries of the "anomalies and malpractices carried out by the APSC" and they got appointment by "enhancement" of their originally scored marks in the final tabulation sheet based on which the final results were declared.
Of the 21 officers placed under suspension, 11 are from the Assam Police Service (APS), four from the Assam Civil Services (ASC), three assistant employment officers, two assistant registrar of cooperative societies, and one excise inspector, reported the news agency.
According to the report, two of 11 APS officers were arrested in the case last week, while several others have been summoned to appear before a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police, which is probing the case.
The suspension notification said that the recommendation of the APSC for recruitment of these officers was "illegal" and the process through which they obtained their jobs amounted to "gross misconduct, corruption, and moral turpitude".
As the officers are under investigation for criminal offence, allowing them to continue in their present post "may not be in the interest of public service and may cause embarrassment to the government", it said, reported PTI.
According to the notification, "anomalies and malpractices resorted to for the selection of candidates in exchange of money and other extraneous consideration by the APSC headed by the then chairman Shri Rakesh Kumar Paul while conducting the Combined Competitive Examination, 2013/ 2014".
The scam came to light in 2016 following which nearly 70 persons, including APSC Chairman Paul and over 50 civil and police services officials, have been arrested. Paul was arrested by Dibrugarh police in November 2016 and released on bail in March this year, according to the news agency.
The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) had said last month that the state government has already initiated departmental proceedings against 34 tainted officials of the 2013 batch whose names were mentioned in the Justice (Retd) B K Sarma Committee report.
Similarly, action has been initiated against those candidates of the 2014 batch who were allegedly selected by unfair means with their marks changed during the tabulation process, PTI reported.