Jammu, December 16:
103 firemen appointed in the Jammu and Kashmir Fire and Emergency Services (F&ES) department have been dismissed. These posts were recruited in the year 2020. The action of dismissal has been taken due to large-scale irregularities in recruitment. The Home Department issued an order in this regard on Monday.
It was only after the recruitment examination that allegations of irregularities started cropping.
In 2022, the government formed a committee to investigate. The committee’s probe had found evidence of paper leaks, manipulation of results and tampering of records.
After this, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) started an investigation. The FIR was registered by the ACB on January 2 this year.
The ACB, in its report and its investigation, found that the OMR answer sheet was tampered with on a large scale. The scanned answer image and merit list were manipulated. The change in digital evidence was also confirmed.
The services of three of them had already been terminated.
The remaining 103 have now been sacked. The Home Department order said the appointments were taken fraudulently and through criminal means.
The order also cited the decisions of the Supreme Court and the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Courts.
