The jobs-for-cash discourse which restarted with the arrest of Pooja Naik has now grown bigger. However, the lesser-known names are still taking centre stage and an impression is being generated that the kingpins or masterminds have managed to insulate themselves so far.
As of today, 12 individuals linked to such rackets have been arrested during the past two weeks. Pooja Naik has been arrested thrice in the past two weeks. Others arrested include a Ponda veterinary doctor Prakash Rane, IRB constable Sagar Naik, Mithil Chari, Pritesh Chari and Parag Raikar, constable Rohan Venji, Dipashree Sawant and Rameshwar Mandrekar.
There have been no links available, nor have the cases moved forward in terms of tracking links. It would be a complete lie to present that isolated individuals exercised such clout to recruit in government departments, on their own authority. By no figment of imagination can one believe that these rackets were operated single-handedly by these individuals, especially when jobs have been doled out through such channels.
The persistence of this issue not only raises questions about the efficacy of law enforcement but also highlights a systemic compromise. All those arrested in the job rackets are minor players, persons who have been caught in a web spun by mighty untouchable faces lurking in the shadows. Instead of a superficial swoop-down, a robust response was needed. There seems to be a disparity between arrest and accountability which in turn illuminates the complex layers of corruption in the system.
The failure to apprehend the masterminds behind these operations is a glaring indictment of our investigative processes. It raises the question: Are police doing justice to this subject? If yes, why are investigations not moving forward, and why are linkages not established and further arrests made? We have seen police boast about their success in solving crime, addressing the media with a sense of accomplishment. What happens in this case? The silence is deafening.
The seeming invisibility of bigger names indicates a deeper complicity or a fear of exposing established names. While the arrests may be the first step, they have fallen short of addressing the deeper issues fuelling suspicion over their action. For now, the arrests have been grabbing headlines, nothing more.
The jobs-for-cash rackets are insidious, trampling on the aspirations of countless job seekers desperate for employment in a state where youth are struggling big time. The serpentine queues for applications and interviews are testimony to the hunger for government jobs. The notion that a person’s livelihood can be purchased with a bribe fundamentally undermines the principles of meritocracy and hard work, creating an environment of disillusionment and frustration. People have fallen for job promises in PWD, the Education Department and the Police, not only because of the high unemployment rate but on the confidence that jobs have been doled out in the past.
The police have a crucial role here in not only getting to the root of each of these cases but also doing a reverse study on those who have already got jobs through this dubious system. It is not merely a matter of law enforcement; it is a move towards installing a better system because job corruption corrupts the system like nothing else.
