Mumbai: The 'Vyapam' scam in Madhya Pradesh has scarred a lot of students who are seeking admissions for thousands of seats in professional courses and government jobs such as constables and teachers.
For all those who are still wondering what the 'Vyapam' scam is all about, it involved massive irregularities and corruption in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) or MP Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal, abbreviated in Hindi as Vyapam.
The notices were served after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by parents of some students who appeared in the state Pre-Medical Test (PMT) which claimed more than 300 ineligible candidates managed to get into merit list.
The case involves cheating, forgery, bribery and misuse of office by the authorities in charge of the institutional bodies to make sure things go smooth. The Special Task Force (STF) investigating the scam has arrested more than 1,400 — most of them young students and their parents.
The recent dramatic turn of events in the 'Vyapam' scam has left the country in shock.
At least 25 accused and witnesses have died so far in the 'Vyapam' scam, while some reports claim that 44 people associated with the scam have 'lost' their lives.
The most high-profile death was that of Shailesh Yadav, 50, son of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav in March.
The whistleblower in the case, an IT expert from Indore, claims to have accessed sensitive information from the computers of the main accused, while assisting the STF probing the scam. He also claims to have access to an excel-sheet document, which contains names of several candidates and the people who recommended them. After the mysterious death of a television reporter and Dean of Jabalpur Medical College, who are suspected of having links to some accused in the 'Vyapam' scam, the whistleblower has demanded police protection.
The opposition Congress has been demanding a CBI probe.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has promised a time-bound investigation into the death of televison reporter Akshay Singh. Further responding to a question, in a TV interview and said that he had no objection to a CBI inquiry into the 'Vyapam' scam, if the courts order it.
