Not very long ago, a school teacher from Assam had alleged corruption in the recruitment of teachers to 26,000 Grade III and IV posts. On September 20, State Education Minister Ranoj Pegu informed that the said teacher has been suspended for being in "police custody for over 48 hours".
Pegu said that according to the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964, any government servant remaining in police custody for more than 48 hours is deemed to be suspended. "His suspension has nothing to do with his allegations or his involvement in a private coaching centre. It was automatic because of the service rules," he said, as per a PTI report.
A few days ago, the teacher, Victor Das, had alleged in a tweet that some officials and former MLAs were demanding Rs 3-8 lakh as a bribe for providing jobs in the ongoing recruitment exercise. He had tagged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta in the tweet.
Following this, Das was called for interrogation and arrested by the Guwahati Police on September 9 for "spreading rumours and indulging in a conspiracy to foment discord between various sections of society over selection to Government posts". He was then granted bail on September 16.
"The suspension order was issued on September 13. Departmental proceedings will be initiated against Das, a teacher of the Pub Panitema Radha Krishna Jugal Milan Lower Primary School in Kamrup district, as per the rules," Minister Pegu said. Das' arrest has led to a huge backlash with all the opposition parties criticising the government's action.
The DGP on September 18 had sought a report from Guwahati Police on the arrest. More than 14.30 lakh candidates had applied to appear for the recruitment against over 26,000 Grade III and IV posts of various government departments, with the examinations taking place on August 21, 28 and September 11, as per PTI.
