Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of candidates protested in Bhubaneswar on Friday following another postponement of the written test for police sub-inspector recruitment. The Combined Police Service Examination, 2024, was originally set for October 5 and 6, but the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB) delayed it after 117 arrests were made in Berhampur. Among those detained, 114 were aspirants who allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh in advance to a scheme aimed at securing them jobs. They were apprehended while heading to a ‘special coaching centre’ in Andhra Pradesh, according to police reports. The remaining three individuals are suspected brokers involved in facilitating these arrangements. A total of 1.53 lakh candidates have applied for 933 police sub-inspector positions.
The examination has faced multiple rescheduling, initially planned for March 8 and 9, then postponed to October, and now rescheduled yet again. Demonstrators gathered near the State Library in Bhubaneswar, demanding ‘justice’ and accusing the OPRB of ‘gross negligence’ while alleging it enabled ‘malpractices’. The Opposition Congress and BJD seized the opportunity to criticize the BJP government, claiming a multi-crore job scam is unfolding in the State. The BJD produced alleged photographs of some State ministers alongside an individual whose company purportedly received the contract to conduct the exam, alleging he orchestrated the scam.
‘These photos suggest that the State government and BJP leaders were directly involved in the irregularities,’ claimed Ipsita Sahoo, president of the BJD students’ wing, calling for a CBI investigation. She pointed out that the State government has canceled 16 recruitment examinations in the past 15 months due to irregularities and questioned the rationale behind arresting the applicants rather than the racketeers who collected the money. ‘Only three brokers were arrested, while others are at large. High-ranking officials in the State government and BJP leaders supported the racket that disrupted the examination,’ she asserted.
Congress spokesperson Bibhuti Mohapatra mentioned that the son of a former senior police officer was among those arrested, raising suspicions of involvement from senior officials and BJP leaders in the scheme. In response, State BJP president Manmohan Samal dismissed the allegations, insisting the State government is committed to transparency, which necessitated the exam’s postponement after receiving information about sabotage. ‘If that were the case, why did the State government take the initiative to postpone the examination?’ he questioned regarding the Opposition’s claims.