Vigilance bureau probing MU degree scam seeks tabulation registers

Gaya: A panic-like situation prevailed in the examination department of

Magadh University

(MU) on Monday as the Vigilance Investigation Bureau widened its net to look into the tabulation registers to verify allegations of tampering and manipulation in the alleged fake degree case.

The district police are also inquiring into the allegations that hundreds of foreigners were awarded PhD degrees in Buddhist Studies and allied subjects, including Ancient Indian and Asian Studies, in a fraudulent manner and several beneficiaries allegedly got the degree without even visiting India. "Immigration officials have been approached to ascertain whether the degree awardees ever visited India and if they visited the country what was the nature of their visa. Those arriving on tourist visa cannot be treated as students," said a source.

Sources said several key functionaries of the examination department went on what university insiders call 'mystery leave' on Monday.

Vigilance DSP Pratibha Sinha, in a letter addressed to the MU registrar Sita Ram Singh, sought tabulation register of the exams held 2011 onwards. The DSP also sought an authentic list of students who were issued revised mark sheets during the same period.

If sources are to be believed, massive fraud has been committed on the pretext of result correction and tabulation registers have been indiscriminately overwritten to accord success to failed students. Pending results too remained very high during the period and anomalies were allegedly committed on the alibi of clearing pending results. Vigilance sleuths are also looking into the financial transactions of the exam department.

More than a dozen university officials, including three former VCs and an equal number of controllers of examination and principals, have been chargesheeted and face trial in criminal cases lodged across the country, including Punjab and West Bengal. Two former VCs and several other officials have been jailed in connection with degree scams.

One former VC of the university, who also happens to be a former HC judge, is currently on bail in connection with a degree scam in which a candidate was declared passed in the MA examinations in first class allegedly without appearing in seven of the eight papers of the PG exam. Former controller of exams DK Dutta mysteriously disappeared and is still traceless.

Playing down the 'mystery leave' angle, a senior university official said it was just a coincidence that some employees were on leave on Monday. Refusing to comment on the ongoing vigilance inquiry, VC Professor Md Ishtiaque said, "The university will extend full cooperation to the inquiry team."

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