Former Punjab Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi on Wednesday led a party protest outside the main gate of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) in Faridkot. The Congress alleged a major scam in recruitment examinations conducted by the state government over the past 4.5 years. Several senior party leaders joined the protest, which was held after a high-tech cheating racket was uncovered during the Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Examination on July 19.
Addressing the protesters, Channi alleged that several recruitment exam papers had been leaked during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's tenure in Punjab. He also claimed that there were widespread irregularities in the appointment of candidates to government jobs. Channi said some earlier recruitment examinations conducted by BFUHS had also faced controversies.
Channi alleged that the employment opportunities of Punjab's youth were being "looted". He said the matter was not limited to one paper leak but amounted to a betrayal of the state's young people.
He accused the state government of failing people across different sections of society. Channi said people would have to come together and speak out against such issues if Punjab was to be protected. He also said that if the Congress returned to power, it would investigate and expose all such scams in detail.
Several candidates who appeared for the examination also joined the protest. They demanded that the test be scrapped and conducted again, alleging that the examination process had been compromised.
The protesters demanded the immediate cancellation of the examination conducted for 454 pharmacist officer posts. They raised slogans against the state government and sought the resignation of Punjab Higher Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, holding him responsible for the security lapse. They also called for an independent judicial inquiry or a probe by a central investigating agency into alleged recruitment irregularities in Punjab.
The July 19 examination came under scrutiny after a university flying squad reportedly found suspicious activity among some candidates, including the use of concealed micro-earpieces. Police have so far arrested 26 candidates and alleged conspirators in connection with the case. They have also recovered 27 wireless communication devices, along with pen cameras and mobile phones.
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