Allegations of multi-crore transactions and tampering with OMR answer sheets in the recruitment of veterinary officers have triggered major political turmoil in Karnataka. After the High Court termed the incident “fraud committed in broad daylight,” the state government has suspended the entire recruitment process and decided to hand over the probe to the CID along with forming a Special Investigation Team.
On July 17, the Karnataka Public Service Commission had released the list of successful candidates for 400 posts of Veterinary Officers. Within a short time of the list being published, a section of candidates alleged large-scale irregularities in the recruitment process. The applicants submitted various documents to the court claiming that jobs were being sold through bribes and that OMR answer sheets had been tampered with.
During the hearing, the bench remarked that the incident was “fraud committed in broad daylight.” Following the court’s observation, the state government assigned the investigation to the CID and also constituted a separate Special Investigation Team.
According to the High Court, the Special Investigation Team will have to submit a progress report of the investigation by August 6.
According to the complainant candidates, bribes ranging from ₹80 lakh to ₹1 crore per Veterinary Officer post were allegedly taken. In support of their allegations, they have also made public sting operation videos, audio clips and other electronic evidence allegedly involving middlemen.
Police said that two alleged middlemen, Sikandar Choudhary and Arif Mohammed Molla, have been arrested in connection with the case. The investigating agencies are now continuing to probe the financial transactions and other aspects of the recruitment process.
Meanwhile, a new controversy has also erupted over the Civil Police recruitment exam. Allegations have been raised regarding OMR answer sheets and question paper numbering, but the Karnataka Examination Authority has completely rejected claims that the question papers were leaked.
The incident has also led to sharp political attacks and counter-attacks. The BJP has demanded a CBI probe into the entire matter and targeted the state government. Meanwhile, state minister Priyank Kharge said that multiple question paper leak incidents had occurred during BJP rule as well, and therefore the opposition has no moral right to try and gain political mileage from the current case.
