UGC files FIR over fake letters to JNU

Delhi police on Wednesday registered a cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy case in connection with the fake University Grants Commission (UGC) notice to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for closure of the schemes for the study of social exclusion and inclusive policy (CSDE).

A FIR under Sections 420, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was registered at the IP Estate police station in central district, based on a complaint filed by Ajay Kumar Khanduri, UGC deputy secretary (admin). In the complaint, Khanduri complained about ‘serious fraud, impersonation, misrepresentation’ committed against the UGC by some unknown persons.

The complaint said that a letter (No. F-24-1/2017/ (CU) dated March 6) was allegedly typed on UGC’s official letter head and was addressed to the JNU registrar, claiming that the UGC has closed the CSDE scheme under 12thPlan guidelines. JNU got the letter through fax on March 10.

During enquiry conducted in UGC, it has come to notice that the signature of Sushma Rathore, under secretary in UGC, in the letter was fake and it was confirmed that no such letter was ever issued by Rathore on behalf of the UGC, said the FIR.

Also, as per records available in Rathore’s offce, it was confirmed that the letter was neither signed by the under secretary nor it was issued by the UGC. The fax number through which the letter was faxed to the JNU belonged to Mumbai, Maharashtra and the UGC does not have any office in Mumbai.

“It is established that the letter under reference and the signature of UGC officer are bogus/ forged and has been used for some ulterior motives. It is therefore requested that a FIR may be lodged under the relevant provisions of law against unknown persons to unearth the facts and to bring the culprits to book,” Khanduri said in the complaint. A senior police officer said that they have launched a probe into the matter.

On March 17, news reports had appeared that the government had decided to stop funding research centres on social discrimination at place at several universities across the country. There were reports that letters were sent to the universities such as JNU on the issue by the UGC.

But on March 18, the UGC said they had not issued any such letter and if received by any university it was forged. The Centres for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive policy was started at 35 central and state universities between 2007 and 2012.