Illegal appointment of teachers: PMO directs Chief Secretary to take action

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has directed the Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, to take action “as appropriate” in regard to the complaint letter submitted to the PMO on March 27, 2023, by Diganta Saikia.

Diganta Saikia, the president of the Amguri Nabanirman Samitee (ANS), had written a complaint letter to the PMO regarding the illegal appointment of teachers in the Elementary Education Department, Assam, in the Sivasagar and Charaideo districts. In the letter, Saikia had alleged that from the year 1990 to 2000, there were irregularities in the appointment of teachers in the Elementary Education Department, Assam, in the Sivasagar and Charaideo districts. Without conducting interviews, without advertising for the vacant posts, and by submitting fake birth certificates and fake qualification certificates, many teachers had been appointed against a large number of financial transactions.

Saikia appealed to the Prime Minister to probe the matter, take legal action against the people involved, and seize the illegal movable and immovable property.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Diganta Saikia said, “With regard to the illegal appointment of teachers in the Elementary Education Department, Assam, in the Sivasagar and Charaideo districts, the Amguri Nabanirman Samitee had knocked on the doors of the Gauhati High Court and filed a writ petition (2793/2020). The case is pending in court. Before moving the High Court, at various points in time, we had approached the CID, CBI, the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell, and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Government of Assam.”

He further said, “We have also registered 12 cases in 12 police stations between the two districts. However, no action was taken. Only the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption wrote a letter to the Superintendent of Police, Sivasagar district, to take the necessary action regarding my complaint petition. And last year, the police arrested the former District Officer (DO) of Sivasagar, Anwar Hussain, and a teacher, Babul Hussain. Other than this, nothing has been done regarding the illegal appointments.”

He added that around 4,000 teachers were illegally appointed between 1990 and 2000 in the Elementary Education Department, Assam, in the Sivasagar and Charaideo districts. Many such teachers had submitted fake birth certificates. Going by these fake birth certificates, their age at the time of appointment was 15–17 years!

Disillusioned by the inaction of the police and other agencies, Diganta Saikia filed the writ petition in the Gauhati High Court.

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