Himanta Biswa Sarma calls for probe into Congress-era job appointments by MP Rakibul Hussain

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a police investigation into MP Rakibul Hussain's alleged unauthorised distribution of government jobs during the Congress regime.

"This is a serious matter - ministers have no authority whatsoever to offer jobs, yet Rakibul Hussain openly admitted to distributing appointment letters," Sarma said during a press briefing on Wednesday, November 6.

Sarma alleged that suspicions about backdoor appointments during Hussain's tenure as Home Minister had persisted for years. "People in Assam have been suspecting for a long time that Rakibul Hussain, when he was the Home Minister, has been giving out appointment letters through the backdoor," he stated.

The Chief Minister drew parallels to the case of former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) chairman Rakesh Pal, who was previously jailed for involvement in illegal recruitment practices. "We knew that Rakesh Pal was involved in giving jobs and even went to jail for it, but we did not know about Rakibul Hussain's involvement until he admitted it himself," Sarma noted.

The Chief Minister confirmed that police would conduct a comprehensive probe into the alleged recruitment irregularities, focusing on identifying beneficiaries and understanding the scope of unauthorised appointments made during Hussain's ministerial tenure.