The state-run Madhya Pradesh Ayurvigyan Vishwavidyalaya with around 300 institutions under its ambit and 3,500 students is facing charges of widespread irregularities.
Almost 14 years after the tentacles of a massive admission and recruitment test-rigging scandal commonly known as Vyapam scam first surfaced in Madhya Pradesh and transfixed the nation, the state’s top medical university has reported a similar wide-ranging case that is under investigation.
The Madhya Pradesh Ayurvigyan Vishwavidyalaya, a state-run university with around 300 institutions teaching medicine, dentistry, Ayurveda, homeopathy, Unani, yoga, nursing and paramedical courses under its ambit, saw vice-chancellor Dr TN Dubey put in his papers on August 14 amid far-reaching charges of irregularities in the academy.
Dr Dubey, a noted neurosurgeon from Bhopal, had assumed office in January 2020.
The man in question while speaking to the media, however, termed this a decision spurred by “personal reasons as he wasn’t able to see his patients due to official engagements at the university”.
Among other charges, Dubey’s tenure received criticism as he had appointed an IT firm, ‘Mind Logistics Infratec’, against which Agra Medical University had lodged an FIR in the past over anomalies. The firm was tasked with carrying out exams and preparing results at the MP university based in Jabalpur.
The firm’s operations were suspended after there were allegations that it fudged exam results as several failed students and even some who did not take the tests were shown as passed.
After a government-appointed panel submitted a negative report on the Bengaluru-based private firm recently, the company was blacklisted by the university on July 5. But the firm approached the High Court and got the order stayed. Madhya Pradesh medical education minister Vishwas Sarang too had flagged a delay in allocation of degrees and mark sheets and results on May 25 on the basis of complaints he received and initiated a probe into the matter.
The HC had taken up the case for hearing on Monday and posted the matter for further hearing on August 31.
Dr Prabhat Budholia, the university registrar, on Monday told News18 that all the allegations involving the exams will be probed thoroughly by a team of IT experts. “We will bring things back on track,” he said.
The said anomalies had taken place during the tenure of the-then registrar JK Gupta, a controversial officer who was serving the university on deputation and that too with dubious educational credentials.
The findings submitted to the state government on June 8 were not made public though. The report allegedly claimed that the IT firm did not create a digital interface for examinations and exchanged data on emails, causing delays in the entire process.
However, several university officers including JK Gupta were shunted after the report was submitted to the department of medical education. Gupta’s services have been returned to his parent department, Ayush.
Among other things, the private firm is accused of holding onto the answer sheets of the students instead of handing them over to the university. This had fuelled speculation of tampering in the final exam results, said sources in the university.
The dubious happenings at the institution were exposed after an activist had drawn information under the RTI Act.
“The probe committee had found that the private IT firm minted money helping students clear exams, also getting marks increased in revaluation, and also overcharged for official works. Besides, 11 appointments of the university were irregular,” said RTI activist Akhilesh Tripathi who alleged inaction from the administration despite the probe report flagging irregularities.
The-then exam controller Tripti Gupta had written to registrar JK Gupta, alleging inconsistencies from the IT firm in April. The company was contracted by the university in 2018. Tripti Gupta, who was posted at the university eight months earlier, was repatriated to her parent department on July 14.
Local officers of the private IT firm though pointed fingers at a senior university official who, according to them, forced them to compromise the sanctity of the examinations over vested interests. They also denied having done anything wrong in the examination process. The officers, however, declined to speak on the record, saying only their Bengaluru headquarters was authorised to speak on these matters officially.
The medical education minister has said that the exam anomalies will be probed thoroughly and no one will be spared if found guilty of wrongdoing.
The university has around 3,500 students enrolled in 30 different courses.
(With inputs from Pratik Mohan Awasthi)
