SIT to probe impersonation during constable recruitment exam

A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe impersonation during the written examination for the recruitment of constables in Himachal Pradesh, a police spokesperson said.

The exam was conducted on Sunday but the state government cancelled it after the arrest of people posing as candidates.

Over 39,000 candidates had appeared for the examination in all 12 districts of the state.

A new date would be announced soon, the spokesperson said.

He said 13 persons were arrested, of which three were from Himachal Pradesh, seven from Haryana, two from Uttar Pradesh and one from Rajasthan.

The accused were produced before a Kangra court, which sent them to four-day police custody till August 16, he added.

A case was registered against the accused under Sections 419 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Bhawarna police station in Kangra district.

Four fabricated vests with wiring, mobile devices and ear pieces were seized from them, the spokesperson added.

A car with a registration number of Haryana was also seized.

Contact was being established with police in Haryana, UP and Rajasthan to ascertain the criminal record of the accused, he added.

The police spokesperson said the SIT headed by Palampur SDPO Amit Sharma was working tirelessly to collect all relevant evidence and the Kangra SP was supervising the operation.

He said the question paper for the written test was not leaked prior to the test.

Meanwhile, talking to mediapersons after a function here today, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the decision to cancel the test was taken in the interest of genuine candidates.

Instructions had been issued to conduct the written test afresh at the earliest after studying and incorporating the best practices from other competitive exams, he said, adding that no fee would be charged from the candidates for the fresh test.

On the other hand, state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore termed the cancellation of the examination a cruel joke on the unemployed youth.