Srinagar, Jan 2: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case over alleged irregularities in the 2020 Fireman/Fireman Driver recruitment process in the Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) Department.
An inquiry committee report has raised concerns over paper leakage and other discrepancies, leading to a criminal investigation. Recruitment for these positions has faced controversy since 2013, with previous attempts terminated due to irregularities.
According to officials, The ACB probe has revealed serious flaws, including the awarding of the exam contract to M/s LMES IT LLP, the second-lowest bidder, despite the lowest bidder offering a better price. Additionally, 109 candidates were fraudulently marked higher than their actual scores, with some shown to have secured 90 marks despite scoring as low as 11. Multiple instances of nepotism and favoritism have surfaced, including the selection of five brothers from one family. Protests have erupted, and criminal charges are being filed against the involved officials. The investigation is ongoing.
According to the details of the investigation, the recruitment process for Fireman/Fireman Driver posts in J&K has been mired in controversies dating back to 2013 when the Departmental Recruitment Board (DRB) first advertised these posts. Following discrepancies in the selection process, the government terminated the entire recruitment process in 2016. The recruitment process was restarted in 2018, adhering to the previous advertisement issued in 2013, and was ordered to be conducted through a Transparent Recruitment Process (TRP) system.
The issue gained attention when the government appointed the Hyderabad-based agency M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd to conduct the examination. However, allegations of mass copying during the written examination led to the cancellation of the tests in August 2019. The government then issued a fresh e-NIT (e-tender) for the recruitment process in 2020.
The latest revelations point to serious irregularities, with the ACB’s probe uncovering that the Directorate of F&ES issued a fresh e-NIT in January 2020 for conducting the written examination. Six TRP agencies participated, but the contract was awarded to M/s LMES IT LLP, a Jammu-based firm, which was ranked as the second-lowest bidder (L-2). The L-1 bidder, M/s UMC Technology Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata, had quoted a price of Rs. 107.50 per candidate, but the contract was controversially awarded to M/s LMES IT LLP at Rs. 179 per candidate.
The investigation further revealed disturbing discrepancies in the selection list. Among the 690 selected candidates, it was found that 109 had secured marks lower than the cutoff but were listed as having higher marks in the final selection list. In some cases, candidates who had actually scored as low as 11, 17, and 24 marks were shown to have secured 90 marks in the final selection list. The case also revealed other irregularities, including the selection of five brothers from the same family in Budgam and multiple instances of relatives of F&ES officials being selected, suggesting a widespread manipulation of the recruitment process.
The irregularities have not gone unnoticed by the public. Aspirants, who had hoped to secure employment through this recruitment process, have been protesting against the alleged corruption and manipulation. Many candidates have expressed their anger over what they describe as an “infamous” recruitment process, which they claim was marred by favouritism, nepotism, and blatant irregularities. Protests were held across the region, with candidates demanding a fair investigation and the cancellation of the recruitment process.
