Last November, during investigations into the Vyapam scam, the Special Task Force of the Madhya Pradesh Police published advertisements in local dailies calling upon the public to share documents or evidence of fraud in the pre-medical test.
Just two responses came by — one from an anonymous source and the other from Paras Saklecha, a former independent MLA, who submitted thousands of papers to the agency while recording two-and-a-half hours of statement. “That was just eight months ago. For all their noise, not a single Congress leader turned up with any document. They may wish to fight through the media, but this struggle will only move ahead through valid documents,” Mr. Saklecha says.
Fondly called “Paras Dada” (elder brother) by his students, Mr. Saklecha has played a role that is second to none in exposing the scam. The first legislator to raise the question in the State Assembly in 2009, much before the scam made national news, he has consistently filed Right to Information applications, supplied key documents to the investigation agencies, held dharnas and press conferences, written dozens of letters and filed numerous petitions. He staged a walkout from the Assembly after replies by the Bharatiya Janata Party government failed to convince him. A few weeks ago, he published Vyapamgate , a 100-page detailed summary of the scam.
Even as multiple whistleblowers take on the State government over the scam, Mr. Saklecha believes he is the original whistleblower. “I started the fight at an administrative level when I took on the government in the Assembly way back in 2009,” he says.
Mr. Saklecha has punctured every defence of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, and exposed the task force’s “faulty” investigation, which the Central Bureau of Investigation is now taking note of. Mr. Chouhan recently said he was the original whistleblower as it was he who ordered the filing of a first information report in 2013.
Mr. Saklecha contradicts the claim, with documents of Assembly proceedings between 2008 and 2013.
The Chief Minister was evasive on the various queries posed and letters written to him by Mr. Saklecha after the cases of fraud surfaced.
“Despite controlling Vyapam, when the news of fraud broke, Mr. Chouhan, for a long time, did not call for any departmental investigation, punish any officials or even write a letter of inquiry,” Mr. Saklecha says.
In July 2013, after several impersonators of candidates were booked in Indore, he submitted a plea in the Madhya Pradesh High Court for a CBI investigation into the fraud in the pre-medical tests held from 2006 to 2013. However, his appeal was rejected.
Mr. Saklecha’s struggle is largely inspired by his love for teaching and empathy for underprivileged students. From Ratlam district in Malwa region, he started out as a bank clerk. He was also coaching students preparing for railways and bank exams free of cost. His contact with students and knowledge of entrance exams, combined with a sound footing in finances, provided him a first-hand understanding of corruption in the education sector.
“My students would tell me how they were approached by people promising them admissions for lofty sums. It’s an open secret that you cannot get through PMT without bribes. But that doesn’t mean we discard the students who have been made jobless by such fraud,” said Mr. Saklecha.
A gold medal winner in Physics, a brilliant mathematician — his formulas are taught in the Hindi belt -- poet and writer, Mr. Saklecha considers teaching his social obligation. In 1977, he founded Yuvam, a small institute providing free coaching, in Ratlam. Yuvam today has a presence in multiple cities and boasts of getting 1 lakh students employed. Mr. Saklecha self-finances his coaching institute, experimenting with various part-time businesses to fund his cause - selling firecrackers, drilling equipment or coolers, or running a restaurant, or investing in the plastic and masala industry.
Bouyed by his popularity, Mr. Saklecha started his political career with the Mayoral elections, which he won in 1999. In 2003, he tried his luck at the Assembly elections but lost in a close battle to BJP leader Himmat Kothari, who went on to become Home Minister. However, he bounced back to win the seat in 2008 by an impressive 32,000 votes.
“Mr. Saklecha’s social contribution to his area is immense. Thousands of students coached by him have moved on to get government jobs. Besides running a legal fight against the government, he has also ensured he works for the society, a reason why he is respected,” a senior journalist from Indore said.
Though he was disqualified in the 2013 elections, Mr. Saklecha is still held in high regard by supporters and detractors alike. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he fought unsuccessfully on an AAP ticket. Amid the political crisis over Vyapam, Mr. Chouhan is reportedly writing a book on the scam. “I would request him to write the book dated not from 2013 but from 2009. That way I will find a mention in his book,” Mr. Saklecha says on a lighter note.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
