Connection between illegal appointment scam and ATM loot resurfaces in Jorhat

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, August 2: A shocking revelation by advocate Rintu Goswami, Gautom Borah and Indrajit Borthakur has created sensation in Jorhat after the trio brought to light to what extent the multi-crore illegal appointment case of the Health Department was planned meticulously in a bid to avoid suspicion.

The trio was speaking during a press meet organized at the Jorhat Press Club on Tuesday and displayed documents pertaining to one Juri Boiragi, out of the 89 fake appointees who despite possessing an illegal appointment letter issued in 2008, actually joined the service illegally in 2014. Not only this, but advocate Rintu Goswami also produced an anticipatory bail plea 1662/15 filed before the Gauhati High Court by Juri Boiragi with co-accused Prasanta Bhuyan who was arrested in the robbery of Rs 1.64 crore ATM cash in November, 2015.

Addressing jourlists, advocate Rintu Goswami said, “I would first like to highlight the hilarious case of Juri Boiragi who bagged an illegal appointment letter to work as a Grade 1V employee of the health department in the Medical Institute of Jorhat issued by the Directorate of Health Services, Hengrabari, Guwahati vide letter No HSE/Appt/Gr-1V/99/08/8556 dated May 16, 2008 and signed by the then Director of Health Services, Dr. Dhruba Hojai. But interestingly, the lady after a complete gap of six years suddenly came up with a joining letter dated September 8, 2014 at the Medical Institute and the Principal allowed her to join as a Grade-1V staff under miscellaneous establishment. Is this not ridiculous? The person who gets an appointment letter joins after a silence of six years.”

“Nevertheless the main motive behind the delay is perhaps what we have judged was wait and watch policy. Since the entire appointment was vague, it might have taken some time to fit people over various levels. But unfortutely, by the time she joined and started working, the entire scam came to the light and the government was forced to order an enquiry and later on the findings of the Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell and the subsequent filing of an FIR C.M.S.V.C PS Case no 2/15 U/S 120(b), 468, 471, 409, 420 IPC R/W 13-C (D)/13/2 of the Prevention and Corruption Act, the government directed the enforcing agencies to take action against all the 88 illegal appointees. This was when Bidyut Bikash Bora, Juri Boiragi and Prasanta Bhuyan through the same petition had applied for Anticipatory Bail (AB) which was rejected by the High Court,” added Rintu Goswami.

The advocate further reiterated, “Despite bail rejection, while most of the accused went into hiding, some of them, especially Juri Boiragi and Prasanta Bhuyan, were seen under the open sky without fear of any arrest. Later, we came to know that their emboldened attitude was because of the backing of powerful people, for instance the husband of Juri Boiragi, who co-incidentally happens to be a reporter of an electronic news channel. Perhaps a veto through dictate or request had saved Boiragi who had in order to hide her husband’s identity bearing title of Borah, identified herself as Juri Boiragi, daughter of Gukanto Boiragi of Mudoibill, Majuli of Jorhat district. Additiolly, we came to know that Prasanta Bhuyan who later on went to become the main kingpin of the Rs 1.64 crore ATM robbery case, was also an illegal appointee of the Health Department.”

The famous ATM robbery case and the multi-crore scam of illegal appointment of the Health Department had become the talk of the town after their bail petition was rejected by the Gauhati High Court on August 21, 2015 and people started to speculate whether the ATM heist was planned discreetly to quench the thirst of certain corrupt officials of the CM Vigilance Cell to keep silent. However, a source from the media fraternity has confirmed Juri Boiragi to be the wife of Pradip Bora, a reporter of an electronic news channel in Jorhat.

The advocates demanded, “We are keen to know whether the present Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who coincidentally happened to be the Health Minister during the Congress government and during the peak of the scam, will initiate punishment through legal action, thus restoring trust among the people of Assam who voted for change.”