2 Vyapam accused in MP assembly election fray, whistle blowers opt out
Two of the accused in the so-called Vyapam case are candidates in the forthcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly elections even as two whistle-blowers who were to supposed contest have withdrawn their candidature, although not in the same seats.
Vyapam is the Hindi acronym for the admissions test conducting authority in the state — for everything from medical colleges to government jobs — and the multiyear fraud was unearthed in 2013. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has so far charged 3,600 people in the case. Given that number and the political links in the case, it isn’t surprising that some of the accused are candidates.
The Vyapam fraud is an important issue in the elections, with the opposition Congress party alleging that top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were involved
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in the case; the BJP’s defence is that it was instrumental in exposing the fraud and that none of the guilty, which includes a minister, have been spared.
Dr Jagdish Sagar, one of the accused in the case, filed his nomination this week from Gohad constituency in Bhind district on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket. In his affidavit before the election commission, he has mentioned “Chal-Kapat” (cheating) in the column pertaining to criminal cases and also listed the cases against him which including cheating, fraud, and some under the Arms Act and the Excise Act.
According to the charge sheet filed against Dr Sagar by the Madhya Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force and the CBI, he allegedly earned crores of rupees by rigging various pre-medical tests over the years. According to the candidate’s affidavit, he has moveable assets worth ~1.82 crore.