SIT registers cases against five more institutes in SC/ST scholarship scam

DEHRADUN: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its ongoing probe of the multi-crore Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) scholarship scam in the state, registered cases against five more educational institutes in Haridwar on Sunday, said SIT officials.

The cases were registered after financial irregularities related to the scam were found in the institutes which are accused of receiving a total of ~1.84 crore collectively as scholarship money from state social welfare department (SWD), added officials.

“The cases were registered against Ganpati Group of Institutions, Haryana, Om Santosh Private Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Uttar Pradesh(UP), Stallion College for Engineering and Technology, UP, Kamlesh Paramedical Private ITI, UP and Uttaranchal Institute of Management and Technology, Haridwar in Haridwar SIIDCUL and Jwalapur police stations respectively,” said Manjunath TC, superintendent of police, Haridwar(crime) who is leading the SIT probing the scam.

He added, “The cases were registered after the initial Investigations found that these institutions showed fake admissions on the basis of which they received the aforementioned scholarship money from the SWD through fraudulent ways. Further investigations are on.”

Earlier on October 31, the Manjunath led SIT had arrested one of the accused in the scam, joint director of SWD Gitaram Nautiyal in Haridwar.

He was arrested after he surrendered before the SIT on Supreme Court orders. He was later produced before the local court which sent him to police remand for further questioning.

Naitiyal was evading police arrest by hiding in different places despite a non-bailable warrant issued against him by a local court in Haridwar.

He was accused of releasing the scholarship money while being in the office without physical verification of the beneficiary students.