Pvt firm’s reps quizzed, more arrests likely

LUCKNOW: More arrests were likely as over six staff and representatives of the private firm engaged in NEET-2021 counselling for Ayush colleges were questioned on Friday by the UP Special Task Force (UPSTF) investigating into the admission scam in Ayush colleges across UP. Ten others would also be quizzed, said officials.

Management representatives from four Ayush colleges, who were served notices to record their statements in wake of admission anomalies, also reached the Special Task Force headquarters and were asked about the counselling process and admissions of candidates last year.

On Thursday, 12 people were arrested in connection with alleged irregularities in admissions in Ayush colleges in 2021. These included former director (ayurveda) Prof SN Singh, suspended nodal officer (counselling) Dr Umakant Yadav and Kuldeep Singh representing V3 Solutions that conducted the counselling.

The counselling was done in 2021 to select candidates against 7,338 seats in homeopathy, ayurveda and unani colleges.

A total of 6,797 seats were allotted, including seats in government and private colleges under the Ayush department.

In all, 891 allotments had been identified as dubious. These 891 candidates included nine who never even took the NEET exam, but got seats allotted for themselves at colleges.

All the 891 students of the 2021 batch were suspended by the ayurveda directorate and debarred from taking the exam slated next year in June by the Ayush university in Gorakhpur. The state government recommended a CBI inquiry into the matter and before that handed over the case to the Special Task Force.