DPI(S) has 25 questions to answer

The Chandigarh Police gave Samwartak a list of 25 questions related to the case. The questionnaire primarily focuses on Samwartak’s ties with the prime accused,Jolly.

Sources said he had been asked to explain since when he had known Jolly and what he had to say about the numerous calls exchanged between the two in the last three months.

He has also been asked to explain the procedure of recruitment that the DPI(S) office follows and to what extent and at what all stages the DPI(S) is involved in the process.

Samwartak had been evading all such queries ever since the case came to light. “A scrutiny of Samwartak’s call records highlighted that there were around a dozen calls between him and Jolly,most of which were not of much longer durations,though some lasted for more than a minute,” said a senior officer.

Preliminary investigations indicate involvement of other staff of the DPI(S) office too.

A lower court sent both the accused arrested in the case,Jolly and Hardev Singh,to 14 days’ judicial custody on Thursday.

The absence of the DPI(S) from his office has meanwhile resulted in postponement of meetings and decisions.

A meeting of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan teachers,which was scheduled for Thursday,was not held. Sources claimed that key decisions on issues like revision of pay scale,forming parent-teacher associations,purchase of goods in different schools,which required approval from the DPI and were expected soon,had been stalled.

There is no official word on the whereabouts of Samwartak as he has not applied for leave.

Even though the door of his office has remained bolted for major part for the last four days,his peons said “he is busy attending meetings”. Not willing to openly comment on the issue,most employees admitted that Samwartak’s visits to the office had been erratic for some time now.

Schools too claim that the frequency of circulars from the department has decreased. “Normally,we used to get two to three notices from the DPI everyday. But we have not heard much from him this week,” said the principal of a school.

Samwartak’s mobile phone was switched off till late evening. He later switched on the phone,but did not answer any call.

There was no response to text messages either. His phone was found to be switched off again around 8 pm.

With Samwartak’s role under the scanner,tension in the department is palpable. From his peon to the registrar,everyone seems to have gone into a shell. They are tightlipped about the issue as they fear there could be more than what meets the eye.

Employees,meanwhile,continue to claim that the selection procedure is transparent. “It is difficult to believe that any bribe was demanded for recruitment. Every appointment is done with fairness,” said a senior official.