Kolkata's very real hub of fake degrees

KOLKATA: No patient of Howrah’s Rama Shankar Singh could possibly have missed the MBBS degree certificate that occupied pride of place on one wall in his chamber. They saw it, but they didn’t notice. Like the solution to a complicated detective story hidden in plain sight, no patient really saw from where the ‘doctor’ got his degree.TOI came across the certificate hours after CID arrested Singh on Monday in the ongoing investigation over fake doctors.On Wednesday, TOI explored the address of the Howrah Central Kolkata Medical College that had awarded Singh the degree. Our search led us to a bookstore — a cubbyhole measuring barely 4ft X 4ft, opposite the iconic Calcutta University campus in College Square. The shopkeepers did not appear shocked when told that an entire medical college ran from their premises, according to records available with the CID. “We are used to students asking us for directions to these colleges,” said one of them. “We always ask them to go looking for these colleges at Radhanath Mullick Lane and Gopal Mullick Lane adjacent to the borough V office.” Ten minutes later, standing inside one of the bylanes of this “education hub”, the shopkeeper’s claims did not appear hollow. Almost every 100 metres, there is a correspondence college. And about six of them appeared to be offering either medical or paramedical degrees. No one, however, would talk. They’ve clammed up since news of the investigation broke.TOI visited two of the more well-known institutions to try and understand how they operate. “We are no fly-by-night institution, unlike the one you are mentioning,” clarified Dr Deepesh Jaiswal, whose name figures on the board of Dental Pulse Academy @Kolkata. “Our college only offers courses for dental students preparing for the MD exams. No degree is awarded here. It is sad how some fake institutes bring disrespect to the genuine ones,” he added.At the Central Institute of Medical Science and Technology, the management claimed they taught students courses approved only by the state government. “Our classes are limited to providing basic training in handling X-Ray machines and a bit of community medicine,” said an official. “The degree is awarded by a neutral body, in which we have no say. We never came across a college here that has the authority to award MBBS degrees. It is a shame that such institutes are bringing a bad name to the reputable institutions.”Locals said there are some lesser-known institutes which change their signboards every six months. “We have also suspected that something was amiss with these fly-by-night institutes,” said Chandrani Das, a local resident. CID sources say they have begun a specific investigation into at least seven such paramedical colleges (including the Howrah Central Kolkata Medical College), and will visit College Square soon. “While there are several correspondence colleges there that are doing good work, we will check on a few that seem dubious,” said an official.CID officers recalled how, in 2003, the area had come under scrutiny for awarding fake degrees. “The fake institutes identified by the health department 14 years ago included three institutes in the Amherst Street police station area. These institutes promise degrees and diplomas after successful completion of the course. After graduating, students are given ‘DHMS’ diploma certificates, ‘BHMS’ degrees in homoeopathy and even ‘MBBS’ in ayurveda and homoeopathy,” an officer said.With inputs from Sneha Kumari