GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed police to investigate allegations of unauthorised job distribution by Congress MP Rakibul Hussain during his tenure as minister of Home for state in the erstwhile Congress government in Assam.
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Speaking to the media on Wednesday, November 6, Sarma highlighted concerns over Hussain’s recent admission to issuing appointment letters without legal authority. "This is a serious matter – ministers cannot offer jobs, yet Rakibul Hussain openly admitted to distributing appointment letters," Sarma stated.
“I have asked the police to interrogate him after the upcoming bypolls to get to the bottom of the matter,” the chief minister said.
The chief minister indicated that suspicions about backdoor appointments during Hussain’s time in office have lingered for years. "People in Assam have long suspected that Rakibul Hussain, as Home Minister, was involved in distributing appointment letters through unauthorised means," he said.
He cited the instance of former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) chairman Rakesh Pal, who is injail for alleged illegal recruitment practices. Sarma remarked, "We knew Rakesh Pal was involved in job distribution and faced jail time for it, but Rakibul Hussain’s role only came to light after his own admission."
The police investigation aims to uncover the full extent of recruitment irregularities during Hussain's ministerial term, identifying beneficiaries and examining the scale of alleged unauthorised appointments.