The roll numbers of 700 candidates in the 2012 Madhya Pradesh Pre-Medical Test (PMT) were changed by a gang so as to ensure success in the competitive examination, documents reveal.
At least 300 of them were eventually selected, of whom 150 took admission in government medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh. Around 40,000 candidates appeared in the test that year.
“The revelations came from the documents filed by the Special Task Force (STF) in the Madhya Pradesh High Court,” Abhay Chopra, who had filed a public interest petition against the Vyapam scam, told IANS on Thursday.
Mr. Chopra’s PIL petition at the Indore bench of the High Court in September 2013 was later transferred to Jabalpur.
The STF even wrote to the Madhya Pradesh health department stating that 150 of these tainted candidates who took admission in government medical colleges had been booked.
The Vyavsayik Preeksha Mandal or Vyapam conducts PMT every year in Madhya Pradesh to fill 1,250 seats in government and private medical colleges in the State.
The Crime Branch in Indore busted a gang that got the candidates to clear the PMT in July 2013 with the help of dummy candidates who actually solved the paper.
The alleged racket’s mastermind, Jagdish Sagar, in connivance with Vyapam officials, allegedly manipulated the roll numbers in such a manner that all these candidates sat in one room during the test.
When the SC handed over the Vyapam cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation on July 9, the STF had already registered 55 cases and arrested 2,100.
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.
Anand 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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