CCTV footage from strong room found missing

Bengaluru: A major lapse has come to light in the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Public Service Commission’s (KPSC) recruitment of veterinary officers, with officials finding that CCTV footage from the strong room where question papers and OMR sheets were stored is no longer available. The development came to light during an inspection of the KPSC office in connection with the ongoing investigation into alleged manipulation in the recruitment examination.

As per the examination procedure, the strong room where question papers and OMR sheets are kept is required to remain under round-the-clock CCTV surveillance. The room is opened only when the examination process begins, and the movement of question papers and OMR sheets is expected to be monitored and recorded.

However, officials reportedly found that CCTV footage covering the last six months was not available. The CCTV cameras were installed at the strong room, but the recorded data had been deleted or was otherwise unavailable for verification.

The rules reportedly require CCTV footage of the strong room to be preserved until the completion of the examination process and for a specified period thereafter. The absence of even six months of footage has raised serious questions, particularly as the recruitment examination is already under investigation for alleged question paper leakage and OMR sheet manipulation.

Another major concern is the reported disappearance of the hard disk containing scanned copies of the OMR sheets. Following an examination, OMR sheets are scanned and the digital records are maintained for verification and future reference. Investigators are now examining how the hard disk related to the veterinary officer recruitment examination went missing. The missing CCTV records and hard disk have raised questions over the security and handling of examination material at the KPSC headquarters. Investigators are looking into whether the lapses were accidental or connected to the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the case, has already issued notices to former KPSC chairman Shivashankarappa, KPSC member Shantha Hosamani, along with 10 members and around 45 officials and staff members, asking them to appear for questioning.

A notice has also reportedly been served at the residence and office of IAS officer Jnanendra Kumar in connection with the investigation.The CID has also issued notices to 329 candidates who cleared the examination. Investigators are recording the statements of around 10 candidates every day as part of the probe.

Copies of the OMR sheets of the selected candidates have been seized for

examination.

The DVRs containing CCTV footage from three examination centres have also been taken into custody and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis.

The latest findings are expected to add to the concerns surrounding the recruitment process, as investigators now have to establish how examination material was handled at different stages and whether the missing electronic records have any connection with the alleged irregularities.