STF hushing up MPPEB scam probe, shielding MP CM: Digvijay

Congress leader Digvijay Singh today alleged that the Special Task Force (STF), probing the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board recruitment scam, was "diluting" the investigation to "shield" high-profile persons including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The AICC general secretary also threatened to file an FIR against the "designated authorities" if he failed to get a "satisfactory" reply from the STF in this regard.
"If I don't get a satisfactory answer, I will file a complaint before the police authorities under section 154 of CrPC against the designated authorities, investigating agencies and others who are trying to screen the real offenders of the crime.

"It appears that the designated authority and the investigating agencies were/are deliberately, intentionally and wilfully trying to obfuscate the truth from coming out in the open to shield high profile persons of Madhya Pradesh including the chief minister (Shivraj Singh Chouhan)," Digvijay said in his four-page letter to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) dated April 27.
The letter was released to the media by Singh's office today.
SIT is monitoring the probe into the multi-crore scam which involved impersonation as well as favouritism in appointing candidates in jobs, referred by "influential" persons, apparently for pecuniary gains.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had recently upheld the SIT's initial report that evidence--an excel sheet and a pen drive--submitted by a cyber expert-cum-whistleblower of the scam, was forged.

Singh had earlier alleged that Chouhan's name was deliberately deleted from 48 places on the excel sheet for recommending names of candidates to crack the MPPEB tests.
"I am appalled by the approach adopted by SIT in such a sensitive case.
"Instead of sending the pen drive and the report of the Truth Lab, Bangalore, regarding tampering of evidence by Indore police in crime no. 19-20/2013 for examination to a reputed central forensic lab, the SIT in a hurried manner, within five days of order passed by the high court dated April 16, chose to have a demonstration by Special Task Force (STF) and formed a prima facie opinion that contents in the pen drive are forged and to mislead the investigating agency," he said.

Singh's fresh attack came within days of Chouhan seeking an appointment with Congress President Sonia Gandhi for "restraining" the party leader from running a "slanderous" campaign against him and his wife.