Bhubaneswar: The students’ and youth wings of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a demonstration in Ganjam on Friday demanding a thorough investigation by the CBI into alleged irregularities in Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE) 2024, which has been postponed.
Holding banners, posters and placards, the protesters raised slogans against the BJP government in Odisha as they took out a march in Berhampur.
Notably, the written examination for recruitment of sub-inspectors conducted by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) was postponed after Berhampur Police busted a major recruitment racket with the arrest of 114 aspirants and three middlemen from the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border on September 30 for allegedly attempting to secure jobs through unfair means.
Subsequent investigation revealed the role of an “organised criminal syndicate” to subvert the entire examination process. The number of arrests made so far in the case has gone up to 119.
Speaking during the demonstration, BJD leaders alleged that crimes against women and children have surged during the BJP government, bringing shame to Odisha at national and international levels.
Now, serious allegations of selling government jobs have surfaced. In the last 15 months, 16 recruitment exams have been cancelled at the last moment, leaving job aspirants frustrated, they claimed.
They said that the case should be handed over to the central agency to ensure justice for students and youths. The BJP government has asked the crime branch to investigate the case to protect the big names involved in the scam, they further alleged.
The demonstrators also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi over the SI recruitment examination scam.
They alleged involvement of senior government officials in the scam in which each SI post was allegedly sold for Rs 25 lakh.