AGP demands CBI probe into appointment scam

Guwahati, Sep 6 (UNI) Citing an inquiry report of Assam Vigilance and Anti-corruption (V&AC) department indicating presence of suspected ISI agents in state Social Welfare Department, the Opposition Asom Gana Parshad (AGP) today dashed a memorandum urging the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister to institute a CBI inquiry into the appointment scam in the departmenmt.

The V&AC department conducted a suo moto inquiry into the irregularities in appointments in Social Welfare department in Asom during the previous Congress regime on the basis of newspaper reports, and submitted its report in july last years.

The report recommended for a regular inquiry into the gross irregular appointments to about 300 posts in the Social Welfare Department in the ranks of Inspectors and Lower Division Assistants.

However, both previous and present regimes of the Congress in the state did not to institute a detail and formal inquiry to unearth irregularities and corruption, if any, behind appointment of such a large number of employees, the AGP said.

The inquiry alleged that Director of the Social Welfare Department C R Kalita and Deputy Director I Alam made crores of rupees by taking bribes in lieu of appointments in the department.

Investigation report said each of the candidates was made to pay in the range of Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh for the job.

The inquiry report stated that the appointments were made without advertising for the posts and appointment letters were issued without police verification of background of selected candidates. It raised the alarm that some suspected ISI agents might have sneaked into the Social Welfare Department as employees as proper procedure was not followed while appointing people.

Taking serious note of what was mentioned in the inquiry report of the V and AC Department, AGP leader Dilip Kumar Saikia stated that if ISI agents had managed to make inroads into the government pay roll in the state, it needed be viewed seriously in the interests of national security.

UNI XC JYN AK MIR RN1806