FIR lodged against 88 illegal appointees, 15 health department officials

From a Correspondent

JORHAT, April 30: The Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell has formally lodged an FIR against 88 illegal appointees of Grade III & IV, including 15 other health department officials, under the Joint Director Health office of Jorhat, in Guwahati on Thursday after getting approval from the Chief Minister’s office on April 28.

Notably, the Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell was investigating the fake appointment case since October, 2014 when a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Prabhat Saikia first raided the Joint Director’s Office in Jorhat and collected documents and appointment letters believed to have been the primary evidence in the multi-crore fake appointments scam by which the gang of operatives, including a jourlist of an electronic news channel, duped the government exchequer of crores of rupees in the me of salary.

Sources in Dispur have already confirmed about the lodging of the FIR by the investigating officer on Thursday after getting a green sigl from the Chief Minister’s office. From now on, the remaining part of the investigation, including arrests if any, has been vested upon a newly desigted Investigating Officer (IO) Biswa Goswami in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.

The health department scam was an organized crime committed through meticulous planning and would have not surfaced until one Pinku Bora went to join the Jalukonibari State Dispensary in Titabor following instructions from Dr Mahmuda Begum, the then Sub Divisiol Medical Officer (SDMO) at Bagchung, Jorhat through an order dated 11/8/2014 vide Memo no: 5227-37. Incidentally Pinku Bora, a resident of the Gorumora area in Jorhat landed in the office of Dr Konkon Jyoti Sarma of the State Dispensary despite being directed to join at Atapam MPHC under Dr Gautom Kheria who refused his admission in the absence of a formal release order from the store of the Jorhat Medical College Hospital (JMCH). But Dr Mahmuda Hussain, on instruction from a lower Division Clerk in the office of the Joint Director’s Office, allegedly forced Pinku Bora’s joining at Jalukonibari Dispensary.  Bora worked for a day and thereafter could not be tracked but continued to draw salary till September, 2014 until stopped by the CM Vigilance team which had by then, after initial proceedings, ordered the Jorhat Treasury Office to immediately stop salaries of the suspected illegal appointments.

Jorhat Deputy Commissioner Solanki Vishal Vasant had on 10-12-14 forwarded the findings of the enquiry report regarding the alleged illegal appointment in the office of the Joint Director of Health Services to the Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Assam, requesting appropriate action and med seven employees of the Health Department - Abdur Rahim, District Malaria Officer (DMO), Gu Kalita, UDA at the DMO office in Jorhat, Sushil Dutta, Head Assistant in the office of the Joint Director, Mala Phukan, LDA, Md. Siddique, retired accountant, Prabhat Saikia, bill clerk and Lakhya th Pegu, UDA in the office of the SDM&HO (HQ) Majuli - to have been directly or indirectly involved in the alleged nexus/design of illegal and irregular appointments.

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