Names of some high-profile politicians are doing the rounds in connection with the paper leak scam in Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC). The Opposition BJP alleged that some Ministers and several lawmakers were involved in this scam.
Demanding a CBI probe, leader of Opposition Prem Kumar said in the Assembly on Monday, “No other enquiry but of CBI can take the scam to a logical conclusion and expose the big people involved in it. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is only arresting the officials.” To this Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shrawan Kumar retorted, “If the Opposition has any proof of the involvement of politicians it should reveal everything to the SIT.”
With the IAS Officers’ Association, Bihar adamant on a CBI enquiry into the recruitment paper leak scam and taking a stand not to obey the verbal orders from the Ministers, including the Chief Minister, its members wore black armbands on Monday to show their resentment over the arrest of their colleague and 1987 batch IAS officer Sudhir Kumar, who had been arrested on Saturday in connection with the leak of question papers from BSSC of which he was chairman. They demanded that Kumar should be released immediately.
The Association also pledged that no IAS officer would chair the institutions of exam and recruitment since they were pressurised by the political powers for favour. The SIT, which arrested about two dozen people, including BSSC chairman and secretary Parmeshwar, is headed by Patna Senior SP Manu Maharaaj who said there were proofs of the involvement of IAS officer.
This is the second incident in recent times that the IAS body showed its solidarity with its member involved in a case. In July last the vigilance had arrested SDO of Kaimur Jeetendra Gupta of 2014 batch on charges of bribery. The association had strongly protested his arrest.
But there was not even a meek voice of protest when a case was filed in December last against 1987 batch officer SM Raju who has since been suspended.
But the present agitation by the top babus is first during Nitish Kumar regime of over one decade. The CM had always been accused of having more faith in his bureaucrats than his party men and legislators in running the administration.
It is interesting that the IAS Association had not shown this sort of solidarity when a number of senior IAS officials had been arrested by the CBI during the infamous fodder scam in late 90s. Those arrested during that period included Beck Julius, K Armugham, Mahesh Prasad, Phool Chand Singh, Sajal Chakrabarty and Sripat Narayan Dubey and each of them was convicted and sentenced to four years jail term and fine. Chakrabarty after acquittal from Jharkhand high court served that State and retired as Chief Secretary. The CBI petition against his acquittal is still pending in the Supreme Court.
