By Sunil Jena, Editor-in-Chief | The Politics Odia
Bhubaneswar: The controversy surrounding the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector recruitment examination has taken a dramatic turn. Former bureaucrat and BJD leader V.K. Pandian has reportedly exposed details of the alleged scam, following which the BJD held a press conference accusing the current BJP government of overseeing a massive ₹200-crore corruption scandal.
During the press meet, BJD leaders compared the Odisha SI exam irregularities to the infamous Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, saying that such large-scale corruption had never happened in Odisha before. The party alleged that the recruitment process was manipulated through organised rackets involving middlemen and candidates.
Meanwhile, sources from Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s office stated that an unknown phone call to the Chief Minister first alerted him about the scam. After he informed the Berhampur Police, several suspects, including candidates and agents, were arrested. However, later reports suggested that the scam had been running for a long time and that V.K. Pandian had prior knowledge of it.
According to available information, Pandian reportedly informed the Andhra Pradesh Police, who later conducted a joint operation near the Andhra-Odisha border. Following this operation, the Andhra Police handed over several arrested persons to the Odisha Police, bringing the total number of arrests to 117.
Adding to the controversy, reports have surfaced that one of Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s personal security staff may also be under investigation in connection with the case.
As both BJD and BJP continue to trade accusations, the SI exam scandal has now become one of the biggest political flashpoints in Odisha, raising serious questions about recruitment integrity, political accountability, and administrative transparency.
