KALABURAGI: The probe into the alleged scam surrounding the police sub-inspectors’ (PSI) recruitment common entrance test, conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), netted the husband of a BJP leader late Sunday night in Kalaburagi.
Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths raided the residence of BJP leader and ex-president of Kalaburagi District BJP Mahila Morcha, Divya, and arrested her husband Rajesh Hagaragi, besides conducting searches at an educational institution they are linked to on Monday and seizing CCTV footage from its premises.
The raid was conducted based on evidence pointing to the alleged involvement of the Hagaragi couple and several others at the institution in the recruitment scam. Rajesh and Divya are president and secretary, respectively, of the Jnana Ganga Education Institute, which was one of the centres for PSI entrance test on October 3, 2021. Large-scale malpractices were reported at the centre, including exam supervisors helping candidates write the papers.
The CID sleuths, led by CID SP Raghavendra Hegde, DySPs Shankargowda Patil and Prakash Rathod, raided Divya’s house, but she was not there at that time. Towards the end of the raid, Rajesh was arrested. Sources said Divya may also be questioned once she is traced. She has remained incommunicado since April 9, when the CID registered a recruitment scam case at the Chowk police station.
CID sleuths earlier arrested three supervisors working at the institution -- Suma, Siddamma and Savitri. They were taken to the institution on Monday during the raid to gather further evidence. Sources said that as per information collected by the CID, institution principal Kashinath had switched off the CCTV cameras for about half-an-hour on the day the malpractice was committed. The sleuths are yet to examine the CCTV footage. Divya was the district unit president of BJP Women Morcha till September-end, 2021.
Not our leader: BJP
She is also a member of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (Disha Committee), which was formed to ensure better coordination among elected representatives in Parliament, state legislatures and local governments. But after Rajesh’s arrest, BJP denied that Divya was a leader of their party. A press note released by BJP state unit Media Convener Karunakar Khasle on Monday stated that Divya was not a BJP leader and the government has already entrusted the investigation to CID, which will conduct an impartial inquiry.
How the probe started
After the investigation was entrusted to CID, it arrested Veeresh, son of a head constable attached to Sedam police station in Kalaburagi district. He was one of the candidates who appeared for PSI Recruitment Test. Though he had answered only 21 multiple-choice questions, he secured 100 marks. He was taken to Bengaluru for interrogation.
Re-exam to be considered only after probe: CM
CM Basavaraj Bommai said the state government has ordered a CID probe and has given it a free hand. “We will take action against those involved, whoever it is,” he said. Asked about demand from candidates for a re-exam, he said, “It will be decided after getting a comprehensive probe report.”