CID grills ex-PSC chief for 8 hours for third time over exam irregularities in Jharkhand

The CID on Friday questioned former Jharkhand Public Service Commission Chairman L Khiangte for around eight hours as part of its probe into alleged irregularities in examinations conducted by the agency, an official said.

This was the third round of questioning that the former state PSC chairman faced. He appeared before the CID sleuths around 11 am and came out of the agency’s office around 7 pm, the official said. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) grilled Khiangte for about nine hours on Tuesday and around eight hours on Wednesday.

Khiangte resigned as the JPSC chairperson on July 22, a day before the CID sleuths searched multiple locations, including his official residence, in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in the JPSC examinations. On Monday, Khiangte said he “voluntarily chose to resign” to ensure an impartial investigation into the matter.

He was appointed to the post of JPSC chairman in February last year after he retired as the state’s chief secretary. The CID has so far arrested 11 people in connection with the alleged irregularities in the examinations conducted by the JPSC.

The commission postponed the JPSC Combined Civil Services Mains Examination, scheduled from July 25 to July 27, citing “unavoidable circumstances”, amid protests by the opposition BJP. The CID on Thursday arrested a candidate who cleared the preliminary test of the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Competitive Examination.

Meanwhile, a group of students, who have been on an indefinite dharna near Jaipal Singh Stadium here for the past several days to press for a CBI probe into the alleged JPSC exam irregularities, opposed the participation of political parties in their demonstration.

The agitators termed the sit-in an apolitical protest and said they would not allow members from any political party to share the stage.