Assam forms SST to monitor APSC probe

The state government has formed a Special Supervisory Team (SST) to monitor the ongoing probe into alleged corruption in Assam Public Service Commission by its beleaguered Chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul.
Considering the sensitivity of the case, the state government decided to form the three-member SST, a senior official told PTI.
"The government last night formed the SST under the Chairmanship of Additional Director General of Police (CID) Anil Kumar Jha. It has two more senior police officials as members," the official said.
The members of the SST are Inspector General of Police (CID) Surendra Kumar and Inspector General of Police (SB) R P Meena, he added.

The case is being investigated by Dibrugarh district police.
"This is a very sensitive case with huge ramification with scope of expansion to cover more people involved in the corruption. So, the government decided to set up a central monitoring team under a senior police officer," he said.

Meanwhile, investigation of Paul is going on in the state capital after the police got 14 days' remand of him on Saturday.
Another source involved in the investigation said Paul has not confessed about having accepted bribe for giving jobs in various public services yet.
"He is not telling much," the source said.

Meanwhile, late last night, police conducted search in a house at Zoo Road in Guwahati.
"We searched the property documents and other evidences. The house is not in Paul's name. We are verifying the papers," an official said.
Yesterday, police searched APSC office and sealed three
rooms for further investigation after huge quantities of paper were set ablaze on instruction of APSC member Basanta Kumar Doley, who said he had asked to burn non-official papers lying in his room to prevent breeding of dengue mosquitoes.
After arresting Paul on Friday, police is on the look out for his brother Rajib Paul, in whose printing press duplicate answer scripts of APSC examinations were recovered.

Police is also looking to interrogate APSC member Samedur Rahman in relation to alleged corruption in the organisation.
For the first time in the history of the Assam Public Service Commission, its Chairman has been arrested.
Various organisations, including Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and All Assam Students' Union, have been slamming Paul for his alleged involvement and also had charged former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of protecting him.
Buckling under pressure of the opposition and a section of own party colleagues, Gogoi in July last year had announced setting up of an inquiry commission headed by a retired judge to probe alleged irregularities in state civil services examinations and recruitment.

A month before that, the Assam government had ordered a probe by an Additional Chief Secretary into the alleged irregularities in results of civil services examinations after receiving five specific complaints.
The opposition-turned-ruling alliance, comprising BJP, AGP and BPF, has been under pressure to take strict action against Paul and clean up the entire system since it assumed office in May this year.