[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 3 Mar: In September 2022, when the SIC was investigating the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (APPSC) assistant engineer (civil) examination question paper leak case, it stumbled upon vital information which later proved to be decisive in exposing the Hotel Chandni angle.
SIC Inspector Bumchu Krong, while interrogating Tanyang Gaduk, who is the father of AE exam candidate Thomas Gaduk, was told by Tanyang Gaduk that middleman Tama Saroh assured him that, in case his son failed in the examination, it could be rewritten outside later.
Later, when the SIC took up all the cumulative FIRs lodged for the examinations conducted from 2014 to 2022, Inspector Krong grilled former APPSC undersecretary Taket Jerang regarding conducting the exam outside for the candidates who paid for the question papers.
“This was when information of circle officer Opet Mibang, who has now been terminated from service, and another candidate, Anam Jerang, writing exam at Hotel Chandni (Naharlagun) came out. Anam Jerang later failed to clear the viva voce. When an SIC official visited the hotel and checked their guest lists, it was confirmed,” an official privy to the matter said.
“DFCSO Minoty Borang also rewrote her exam in her rented house. All three had failed in the original exam,” the official said.
After taking over the case from the capital police, the SIC team made a series of breakthroughs by making several high-profile arrests. During this whole period, the SIC officials, led by SP Anant Mittal, did not even take leave and worked 24/7.
During the course of the investigation, the SIC found out that Taket Jerang used four different modus operandi to execute the scam. First, he simply leaked a question paper to those who paid him. Second was to let candidates rewrite the examination if he or she failed to clear the original exam. Thirdly, the candidates were made to write new answers later when they could not write them inside the exam hall. The person had to leave a blank space, so that he or she could later fill it.
Last but not least, the answer sheet was manipulated by adding marks and forging signatures of the evaluators. The SIC had received 36 complaints regarding various examinations conducted by the APPSC since 2014. The investigation was started after clubbing all the cases into a single case, and 46 people were arrested.
Among those arrested, 39 are government servants and the remainder are private individuals, including middlemen who operated in a nexus with Taket Jerang.
The SIC also examined the role of all, including former chairman Nippo Nabam and all the members of the commission.
The CBI filed an FIR on 6 January regarding a case pertaining to all irregularities committed in the examinations conducted by the APPSC since 2014, after taking over the case from the SIC.
After taking over the case, the premier investigation agency of the country started ground work first by attaching two SIC officials, Inspectors Techi Nega and Bumchu Krong, into the CBI fold. It also sought further human resource and logistic support, which the state government provided.
However, the mysterious death of former APPSC undersecretary Tumi Gangkak has reportedly slowed down the pace of investigation into the scam. His death has reportedly shaken the CBI as well as the SIC, and the premier investigating agency is believed to be extremely wary of the next move.
Two SIC officials – Inspectors Techi Nega and Bumchu Krong – have also been released from the CBI after the family of late Gangkak raised serious allegations against Krong.
“We want a free and fair investigation into the death of late Tumi Gangkak. It should be a time-bound investigation, so that our names are cleared at the earliest. At present, the morale of both CBI and SIC officials is very low. We are deeply hurt by the events of the last few days,” said a senior official of the SIC.
