The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started investigation in the Himachal Police Recruitment Case nearly six months after the state government’s decision to hand over the investigation to the agency.
An officer of the CBI said, “The CBI has started investigation and registered an FIR in the case.”
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had announced a CBI probe in the police recruitment case on May17, 2022 to mitigate public and opposition outcry in the matter.
While handing over the probe in the case the CM had said, “Since the accused belonged to different states and the recruitment process was handled by many senior police officers of the state we are ordering a CBI probe.”
The screening test for recruitment of 1134 police constables in HP Police was conducted on March 27 but scrapped by the state government when reports of leaking of papers of the screening tests by certain touts at different places had surfaced.
The state government had constituted a SIT headed by DIG Central Range Madhusudan Sharma; “ The SIT had arrested 73 accused (including 38 candidates) in the case from different places, the kingpin in the case Shiv Bahadur was arrested from Varanasi (UP) and another accused Amar was arrested from the Bihar and during the investigation.”
The SIT had also filed two separate challans against 61 and 91 accused in the case.
The state government had conducted a screening test again but the recruitment process could not be completed due to the State Assembly election.
