Assam: 19 including BJP MP RP Sharma's daughter Pallavi arrested for cheating in APSC exam

Nineteen Assam government officers, including the daughter of BJP MP R P Sharma, were arrested today as their handwriting did not match with that in their answer sheets in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) examination held in 2016, police said.

The Dibrugarh Police, which is probing the cash-for-job scam in the APSC, had summoned the 19 officers of the Assam Civil Service (ACS), Assam Police Service (APS) and allied services of the 2016 batch to appear for handwriting tests after forensic examinations of their answer sheets indicated anomalies.

Superintendent of Police, Dibrugarh, Gautam Bora said the handwriting of the 19 officers did not match with their answer sheets that were found to be fake earlier during forensic tests.The officers were arrested in Guwahati, he said.

The 19 officers were selected in the examination conducted by the APSC when Rakesh Pal was its chairman.Pal and three other officials of the commission were arrested in 2016 for their alleged involvement in the cash-for-job scam.

The arrested officials include 13 ACS, three APS and three allied service officials, Bora said.The ACS officers arrested are Utpal Bhuyan, Barnali Das, Susovan Das, Dhruvojyoti Chakraboty, Manzoor Ilahi Laskar, Moon Mazoomdar, Mustafa Ahmed Borbhuyan, Md Saibur Rahman Borbhuyan, Monika Teronpi, Ganesh

Chandra Das, Srabanti Sen Gupta, Deepsikha Phukan and Leena Krishna Kakati, the SP said.The APS officers arrested are Gulshan Daolagpu, Bhargav Phukan and Pallavi Sharma -- daughter of BJP Lok Sabha MP from Tezpur -- said Additional SP and investigating officer Surjeet Singh Paneswar.

The allied service officer are District Transport Officer Suranjita Hazarika, Superintendent of Taxes Rituraj Neog and Inspector of Taxes Nipon Kumar Pathak, he said.

The police had earlier arrested 35 people, including Pal, APSC members Samedur Rahman and Basanta Kumar Doley and assistant controller of examinations Pabitra Kaibarta.

The Assam government had on June 21 this year dismissed 13 arrested state civil services officers from service for their alleged involvement in the cash-for-job scam.

The dismissed officers were undergoing probation when they were arrested in November last year and are currently lodged in Guwahati Central Jail.

They have been accused of bribing Pal and using unfair means in the examinations to qualify for the state civil services.

Among the dismissed officers is former Congress Minister Nilamani Sen Deka's son Rajarshi Sen Deka.