Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Congress on Friday alleged involvement of influential people in the alleged cheating racket in the police sub-inspector (SI) examination.
Addressing a presser, Odisha Congress spokesperson Bibhuti Mohapatra claimed that Amiya Kumar Behera, son of former DIG of Prisons Kulamani Behera, is among the 114 aspirants arrested along with three agents following a crackdown on the alleged racket for sabotaging the written examination, which was schedule for for October 5-6.
“Kulamani Behera retired from service about 3-4 months ago,” he said.
The Congress leader also pointed a finger of suspicion at chairman of Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB), which conducts the exam. “Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) Susanta Kumar Nath is the chairman of OPRB. And Amiya from Keonjhar, whose name figures in the list of people arrested by Berhampur police, is the son of a former DIG from his department,” he said, in an attempt to link the two.
He demanded that these two senior officers should be brought under the purview of the Crime Branch investigation, along with owners of the ITI Ltd, the private agency entrusted with the task to conduct the exam, which was later subcontracted to Silicon and subsequently to Panchsoft Pvt Ltd, a firm reportedly headed by Shankar Prusty.
“A probe should also be conducted on how these agencies were empaneled and assigned the work,” he added.
The Congress leader stated that a ‘cash-for-jobs system’ has taken root in the state. “In Odisha, it is not merit but money that secures a government job. When will this corrupt practice come to an end?” he asked.
Reports claimed that Prusty, a resident of Bramhanachai village under Sheragada Block who is staying in Bhubaneswar, had gifted car to BJP state executive member Sisira Mishra. He and one Muna Mohanty have been identified as key conspirators in the scam. They allegedly ran a well-organised network that targeted desperate job seekers. At least 10–12 other middlemen were also involved.
The Scam
On September 30, the OPRB postponed the Combined Police Service Examination (CPSE) 2024 for the third time, citing administrative reasons, after Berhampur police intercepted three buses on the border with Andhra Pradesh, acting on a tip-off about a huge malpractice in the upcoming test.
On verification, it was found that among the 117 passengers, 114 had applied for the SI examination. The subsequent interrogation of the detainees revealed that the candidates had conspired to acquire confidential question papers in Vizianagaram in the neighbouring state before returning to Bhubaneswar to appear for the exam in their respective centres. Each candidate had agreed to pay Rs 25 lakh, with Rs 10 lakh as advance and the remaining Rs 15 lakh after getting the job.
BJP Rubbishes Allegations
Responding to Opposition criticism over the alleged large-scale irregularities in the Odisha Police SI recruitment process, BJP State President Manmohan Samal questioned why the ruling party would cancel the exam if they were involved in any wrongdoing. He described the issue as a persistent problem, requiring a thorough overhaul rather than superficial fixes.
Protest By Job Aspirants
Friday morning saw a protest in front of the Harekrushna Mahatab Library in Bhubaneswar. The protesters were among the 1.53 lakh candidates, who have applied for 933 police SI posts under various categories. They accused OPRB of gross negligence and claimed that systemic corruption facilitated widespread malpractices
Alleging collusion between officials and middlemen, they demanded accountability at the highest level.