E-Paper
U.P.: Probe team begins questioning into Ayush admission scam
Questioning has begun into the Ayush admission scam and initially the focus is on those officials who were engaged in counselling of students selected in 2021
Questioning has begun into the Ayush admission scam and initially the focus is on those officials who were engaged in counselling of students selected in 2021. Counselling conducted for admission to Ayush colleges in the state in the past years is also under scanner.
The national eligibility-cum-entrance-test (NEET)-2021 result data (list of candidates) has already been obtained by the Uttar Pradesh special task force (UP STF) and it is being studied and matched with the list of candidates selected for Ayush colleges of Uttar Pradesh in 2021. The questioning is focused on the process adopted for counselling.
Hiring of firm for counselling is also under scanner where technical evaluation team is looking for the past counselling. The firm that took up the tender for conducting counselling got another internal tender done to actually get the counselling for Ayush colleges in Uttar Pradesh conducted.
“We can say in simple terms that the tender was sublet. Evaluation is also being done to check this sublet process,” said a senior official in the know about the development.
One of the key persons engaged in counselling is also being looked for. The investigating team is working to find out whether the allegation as mentioned in the FIR registered (on November 4 at Hazratganj police station) by the director Ayurveda that data was found corrupted when investigation was primarily carried out by the department, is correct or not.
Who corrupted the NEET-2021 counselling data and when it was done are also being worked upon and the process is being supported by officials of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The IP address and computer that was used when data was being corrupted, if obtained, will be crucial evidence into the case.
The state government has already recommended a CBI inquiry into the Ayush admission scam. The counselling was conducted in 2021 to select candidates against 7,338 seats in homeopathy, Ayurveda and Unani colleges and a total 6,797 seats, including seats in government and private colleges under Ayush, were allotted.
In all, 891 allotees have been identified as doubtful have also been suspended. Among them include nine names who never even took the NEET exam but got seats allotted for themselves at colleges and took admission. As per the rules, admission is given only to a candidate who has cleared NEET exam.
The Mahayogi Guru Gorakhnath AYUSH University (MGGAU), Gorakhpur, which is responsible to conduct exams in Ayush colleges in Uttar Pradesh, has initiated the process to cancel enrolment numbers of these students under radar for wrongful admission.
“A total 85 Ayush colleges are affiliated with us. We have started getting names of students suspended and hence we have decided to not issue enrolment number (unique ID for exam purpose) to them and if issued the enrolment number will be cancelled,” said registrar MGGAU, RB Singh. The exams are slated next year. Till now, details of 200 students have been sent by 12 colleges.
