Rajasthan paper leak scam: IPS officer calls for the arrest of former CM Ashok Gehlot

There is trouble brewing for former chief minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot. A top IPS officer, Pankaj Kumar Choudhary, currently serving as Superintendent of Police for Community Policing in Rajasthan, has called for the arrest of Gehlot, asserting that it is essential to uncover the truth behind the recent paper leak scandals.

Choudhary's demands come in the wake of an "open letter" he wrote over two weeks ago, in which he accused Gehlot of carrying out a vendetta against him and displaying "mysterious malice" during his previous two terms as chief minister. The outspoken 2009-batch officer, who had previously raised alarms about paper leaks, stated on Tuesday that his initial letter had not fully conveyed all the critical issues at hand.

Recently, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police arrested several individuals, including former Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Ramuram Raika and his children, in connection with the 2021 sub-inspector recruitment exam paper leak. In response, Choudhary took to social media platform X to demand the cancellation of the tainted exam. He also insisted that Gehlot be arrested and that an investigation be conducted into the additional director general of SOG who served between 2020 and 2023.

Choudhary's criticisms of Gehlot are not new. Last September, he claimed that he could "clean up" the RPSC within three months if given the responsibility and wrote a letter to Gehlot requesting to be appointed in charge of the Commission.

A native of Varanasi, Choudhary has a long history of conflicts with Gehlot. In 2013, he alleged that he was abruptly transferred from his position as Superintendent of Police in Jaisalmer after he opened a history sheet on Ghazi Fakeer, a prominent Muslim leader, and filed a case against Fakeer's son, Saleh Mohammad, a sitting Congress MLA at the time. Choudhary claimed his transfer occurred just 48 hours after the First Information Report (FIR) was filed.

Choudhary has also accused Gehlot and his successor, Vasundhara Raje, of colluding against him in an effort to remove him from service. In 2015, he claimed that the Raje-led government targeted him by removing him from his post after he refused to release VHP and Bajrang Dal rioters during the Bundi riots of September 2014, despite pressure from various levels of the government. Instead, he alleged, he was instructed to file false cases against Muslims. Choudhary made these claims after being served a chargesheet by the Rajasthan government, accusing him of failing to act swiftly during the riots.

In early 2019, Choudhary was dismissed from service on charges of "grave personal misconduct" related to an alleged extramarital affair. However, he was reinstated in May 2021 by the Ministry of Home Affairs following favorable judgments from the Central Administrative Tribunal, the Delhi High Court, and the Supreme Court.

In his open letter, Choudhary recounted that he had once sought a brief meeting with Gehlot when the latter was chief minister but was blocked by those around him, leaving Choudhary with no choice but to resort to an open letter.