The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday launched its investigation into the Vyapam scam with the registration of five cases of corruption, fraud, cheating and criminal conspiracy against over 150 of the accused, among them a State Backward Classes Commission member, Gulab Singh Kirar, and two former controllers of examination.
The agency has asked the State police to furnish all records pertaining to the mysterious death of TV Today group journalist Akshay Singh and four accused persons, Namrata Damore [medical student], Deepak Verma [medical student], Rajendra Arya, doctor, and pharmacist Vijay Patel.
Among those named in the first case are Kirar and his son Shakti Pratap Singh Kirar. Both of them are absconding.
The commission member is also the national president of the Kirar community to which Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan belongs.
Former Vyapam controllers of examination Sudhir Singh Bhadoria [2008-11] and Pankaj Trivedi [2012-13] have been made accused in the same case, along with four pre-postgraduate medical examination candidates for a Gwalior college.
The CBI has invoked various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the M.P. Recognised Examination Act.
“The second case involving 21 candidates, who were part of an alleged conspiracy to facilitate admissions through fraudulent means, pertains to a pre-medical test held in 2010,” said CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad, adding that another case against 28 named accused has been registered in connection with the State pre-medical test conducted in 2009 and 2010.
The CBI has also taken over a corruption case earlier registered by the MP Special Task Force to probe the alleged illegalities in recruitment of forest guards in 2013.
“One hundred accused persons have been named,” said Ms. Prasad.
The fifth case of cheating, conspiracy and fraud is related to the allegations of illegal allocation of seats in private medical colleges through the pre-medical test conducted in 2011. Three persons have been named as accused.
Stating that some more cases would be registered soon, another CBI official said: “The Superintendents of Police of Ujjain, Kanker, Gwalior, Jhabua and the Indore Deputy Inspector-General of Police have been asked to provide case records relating to the deaths of Namrata Damore [January 2012], Vijay Patel [April 2015], Rajendra Arya [June 2015], Akshay Singh [July 2015]and Deepak Verma [2010].”
The scam involves massive irregularities and corruption in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) or MP Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal, abbreviated in Hindi as Vyapam.
Noting that it will not allow even one more death, the Supreme Court transferred all criminal and death cases linked to the Vyapam scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a “fair and impartial” probe.
The Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe into the multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board that has resulted in unexplained deaths of key accused and witnesses.
A Trail of graft and gore
- 1982: Vyaysayik Pareeksha Mandel (Vyapam) set up to conduct entrance examinations for pro-fessional courses
- 2008: Recruitment tests for government Jobs also included
- July 5, 2009: Widespread irregularities in recruitments come to light
- 2009: Medical exam paper leaked; first complaint filed
- December, 2009: Chief Minister forms panel to probe scam
- Jul 7, 2013: Police register FIR, arrest 20 impersonators
- Jul 16, 2013: Jag-dish Sagar, kingpin of scam, arrested
- Aug 26, 2013: STF takes over probe, 55 FIRs registered
- Oct 9, 2013: Admissions of 345 examinees cancelled
- Dec 18,2013: Ex-Higher Education Minister Laxmikant Sharma booked
- Jun 29, 2015: SIT says 23 people related to scam died due to 'Unnatural causes"; unofficial count puts figure at 46
- July 7: Chouhan agrees to CBI probe
The Whistleblowers
Ashish Chaturvedi, 26-year-old social activist from Gwalior, claims CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a key player in the scam.
Prashant Pandey, cyber expert roped in by the STF, retrieved key Vyapam files.
Anvil Rai, Indore-based RTI activist flied a PIL which led to the probe.
Vyapam scam
High-profile deaths
> Shailesh Yadav
He was found dead at his home in Lucknow in March. He was accused of taking money to help candidates from Bhind clear the exam for contractual teachers.
> D.K. Sakalley
He was the Dean of Jabalpur Medical College. He was also allegedly linked to the scam; he died of burns under suspicious circumstances.
> Akshay Singh
He worked for TV Today group, died soon after interviewing parents of a girl who was an accused and had herself died in suspicious circumstances.
> Arun Sharma
He was also the Dean of the Jabalpur-based College. He was probing fake examinees in the Scam. He was found dead in a hotel in Delhi.
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