Dehradun: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has stepped aside from two organisational positions in the Congress following an Enforcement Directorate (ED) search at the residence of his close aide, Chandan Singh Jeena, as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in a 2016 recruitment examination.
Rawat announced his decision on Friday, saying he did not want the investigation involving his associate to become a political issue that could undermine the Congress party’s campaign against corruption.
He has decided to relinquish his membership of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee executive as well as his position as a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee.
The ED conducted searches at several locations in Dehradun on Thursday as part of its probe into alleged manipulation of answer sheets in the Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) in 2016.
According to the central agency, the searches covered premises associated with former UKSSSC officials, individuals allegedly acting as intermediaries and the owner of a private computer agency involved in processing examination OMR sheets.
Cash, Gold and Watches Seized
The ED said its search at Jeena’s residence resulted in the recovery of Rs 32 lakh in suspected unaccounted cash, gold items and 12 watches.
The seized gold reportedly weighed around 200.5 grams and included 13 gold coins and seven gold chains. The watches included brands such as Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice, according to the agency.
The ED also said bank accounts belonging to Jeena and members of his family, holding approximately Rs 52.16 lakh, were frozen. His mobile phone was taken for forensic examination.
The money laundering investigation was initiated on the basis of four FIRs registered by the Uttarakhand Police and Vigilance Bureau.
The agency has alleged that OMR answer sheets from the recruitment examination were taken out of secure custody and brought to the residence of the commission’s then secretary. Investigators suspect that details from under-filled answer sheets were subsequently shared with employees of a private computer agency, where answer bubbles were allegedly altered before the sheets were resealed. The alleged manipulation was reportedly carried out in return for illegal payments involving intermediaries.
The ED has also claimed that substantial cash expenditure by Jeena could not be linked to a legitimate source of income. Similar recoveries of suspected unaccounted assets were reportedly made during searches involving some former UKSSSC officials and other persons connected to the case.
Rawat Rejects Allegations Against His Aide
Rawat acknowledged Jeena’s long association with him but said he found the allegations difficult to accept without evidence.
Jeena previously served as Rawat’s officer on special duty when he was chief minister between 2014 and 2017 and currently works as his personal assistant.
In his statement, Rawat said that if Jeena was proven to have manipulated OMR sheets during the recruitment examination, the conduct would be deeply disappointing. At the same time, he maintained that he did not believe the allegations were true.
Rawat also suggested that the developments had come at a politically sensitive time, with Uttarakhand moving towards an election period. He said there could be attempts to use the investigation involving his associate to build a political narrative against him.
Why Rawat Resigned
Explaining his decision, Rawat said Congress workers were continuing their campaign against corruption and that Rahul Gandhi had also been raising concerns over corruption in the education system through the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ campaign.
He said he did not want an investigation involving someone associated with him to distract from or weaken that political campaign.
Since he does not currently occupy a government position from which he could resign, Rawat said he had chosen instead to give up his two organisational responsibilities within the Congress.
His resignation comes as the ED investigation into the alleged UKSSSC recruitment examination irregularities continues.
