Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led state government over alleged mass cheating and irregularities in the recent police recruitment examination, terming it "a betrayal of the youth of Himachal Pradesh."
Thakur called for the immediate formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged scam and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on moral grounds.
"The entire recruitment process has been reduced to a mockery. Videos show blatant cheating, discussions inside exam halls, and candidates solving papers in groups. This is not just mismanagement, it's criminal. If the Chief Minister has any moral standing left, he should step down," Thakur told mediapersons at a press conference in Shimla.
Thakur described the police recruitment drive as the only major recruitment initiative undertaken during the Congress government's two-and-a-half-year tenure, alleging that the entire process had been compromised.
Thakur called the police recruitment drive the only significant recruitment drive in the past two and a half years of the Congress government's tenure, claiming that the entire process was compromised.
"This government shut down the Staff Selection Commission. After two and a half years, it held one police recruitment, which is now under serious question. The candidates have submitted video proof of cheating taking place inside examination halls in Shimla, Palampur Road, and Chamba," he said.
"If the government claims transparency, then why not release the CCTV footage from these centres? What are they afraid of?" Thakur asked.
He further alleged that candidates were allowed to carry mobile phones into examination halls and that invigilators failed to prevent open cheating during the test.
The former CM pointed out that two individuals, Vikram and Balwinder from the Dehra area of Kangra district, were arrested in the case. But he added that just two arrests cannot cleanse a scam of this magnitude.
"Reports suggest that candidates were called to Haryana and promised success in the exam in exchange for lakhs of rupees. Transactions of up to Rs 35 lakh have been cited. Who made these promises? Who were these candidates? At least 15-16 people were summoned for investigation," he said, adding that the matter must be investigated at a state-wide level.
"In our tenure, when similar allegations emerged, we immediately cancelled the exam and announced a SIT investigation the very next morning. We even handed over cases to the CBI when required. This government is silent and evasive." Thakur added.
Thakur warned that candidates feared the CCTV recordings could be destroyed, much like the pen drive in the Vimal Negi case, which was formatted and later recovered.
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