Former Assam Speaker arrested

Former Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Pulakesh Barua was arrested on Friday night in connection with illegal recruitment of teachers...

Former Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Pulakesh Barua was arrested on Friday night in connection with illegal recruitment of teachers in the state during 1996-2001.

Barua, who had quit the AGP in 2002 and later lost the 2006 Assembly elections as a candidate of the Trinamul Gana Parishad (TGP) in the Barkhetri assembly segment, was picked up from his residence in Guwahati by a team of policemen from Nalbari.

Barua was produced before the chief judicial magistrate of Nalbari and was remanded in five days’ police custody on Saturday. However, he was shifted to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital when he complained of chest pain. Barua is a heart patient.

The police have been investigating the illegal appointment of over 4,000 schoolteachers in Nalbari district during the AGP-led Government headed by Prafulla Kumar Mahanta. It is alleged that Barua, who was the then chairman of Nalbari District Teachers’ Selection Committee, was directly involved in selecting teachers by foul means.

The police on Friday also arrested Amulya Choudhury, a former inspector of schools, Nalbari, in connection with the scam. Five more officers have also been taken into custody.