Karnataka Police Recruitment Scam: Senior Officer Arrested; Rahul Gandhi Demands CM Bommai's Removal

The police sub-inspector recruitment scam in Karnataka has snowballed with the reported arrest of an ADGP-rank officer by the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID). According to reports, the officer, Amrit Paul, was heading the recruitment division when the scam took place. After the large-scale irregularities came to light, he was transferred as the ADGP for the Internal Security Division.

A report in news agency PTI quoted sources as saying that the Optical Marks Recognition (OMR) sheets of the fraudulent candidates were allegedly tampered with in the recruitment division. It is alleged that Paul was in the know of the development.

Following Paul’s arrest, he was produced in a court on Monday and remanded to 10-days police custody. Later in the night, the government ordered his suspension with immediate effect.

Commenting on the arrest of a senior IPS officer, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the government has given a free hand to the CID.

“I had already said that however mighty they are, we will take action. Because of our government, a senior officer was arrested,” Bommai told reporters.

“Such fair inquiry would not have been possible in other governments. In the previous government, when such irregularities came to light, no investigation was carried out and it was closed. It was us who impartially probed the case, got into the root and arrested everyone involved in it. We are committed to cleansing the system,” Bommai added.

The Scam

The scam first came to light in Kalaburagi district, when the OMR sheet of a candidate was posted on social media showing that despite answering only 21 out of 100 questions, he cleared the exam.

This triggered public outrage against the manner in which the exam was conducted. The police registered a case against the candidate and the person who had posted the OMR sheet’s photo on social media. The probe led to the arrest of absconding BJP leader and owner of Gnana Jyothi English Medium School in Kalaburagi Divya Hagaragi, the principal of the school, Kashinath, and other staff.

A few police officers, including a deputy superintendent of police, inspector, sub-inspector, constables and the gunman of an MLA were also arrested, PTI reported. It is alleged that a candidate from Malleswaram, purportedly the relative of a senior politician, was also arrested in this case.

The suspected candidates in the scam had allegedly paid Rs 70 lakh each to get a job.

The PSI recruitment drive started in October 2021 to fill 545 posts and 54,041 people wrote the exam. After the scam came to light, the government annulled the exam and ordered conducting it afresh. Enraged with this move, a few candidates staged a demonstration, demanding cancellation of the order which annulled the exam. However, the government remained adamant and said it will conduct the exam afresh.

Politics Over Scam

While the Opposition accused the involvement of high-profile people in the government, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said a fair investigation will happen, sparing none, however high and mighty they were.

However, the opposition Congress was not happy with the action and demanded the removal of Jnanendra, saying he was equally responsible for the PSI scam.

Reacting to the Opposition’s charge, Bommai said it was the Home Minister who had ordered a CID inquiry. He accused the Congress of trying to change the course of the investigation.

“There were scams after scams during the Congress regime such as the PUC question paper leak, PSI recruitment scam and the civil services exam scam conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission,” Bommai said.

“After I became the home minister, I took action. During the Congress regime, all the scams were pushed under the carpet. The Congress does not have any moral rights to talk about it,” Bommai said.

On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of “brazen corruption” in Karnataka and demanding the sacking of Chief Minister Bommai. The former Congress president also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his repeated assertion of not allowing corruption under his watch – “Na khaoonga, na khane dunga“.

“BJP’s brazen corruption and ‘Sale of Jobs’ destroyed the dreams of thousands of youth in Karnataka. The CM, who was then HM, must be sacked for any fair investigation,” Gandhi said in a tweet. “Why hasn’t the PM taken any action? Is this the BJP government’s ‘Sab Khaenge, Sabko Khilaenge’ moment,” he asked.

Congress general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala also hit out at Bommai.

“As layers of corruption in PSI scam get unearthed, only two questions need to be answered are – could PSI scam happen without connivance of political masters in BJP? Who was the Home Minister at the time of scam? Answer: Sh. Basavaraj Bommai.”

“The responsibility for PSI scam lies at the doorstep of then Home Minister, Sh. Basavaraj Bommai, nothing more – nothing less. Arrest of ADGP is insufficient. “‘A fair investigation can happen only when Sh. Bommai resigns or is sacked! Youth await justice,” Surjewala said.

With PTI inputs

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