In the ongoing probe into SC ST scholarship scam, three accused who were arrested recently by Special Investigation Team (SIT), were produced before the court of law on Tuesday from where they were sent to police remand. “More FIRs will be lodged against the accused,” the SIT incharge probing the case said.
During interrogation it was revealed that current official of social welfare department and two retired officials, for a bribe of Rs 5,000 had facilitated siphoning off of crores of rupees meant to be distributed as scholarship. The Government had released Rs 100 crore for colleges of Haridwar district alone, out of which not a single rupee was transferred to the students’ accounts.
The official said apart from these three officials there are many other people who were involved in the scam including the joint director of social welfare department Gitaram Nautiyal and erstwhile social welfare officer Anurag Shankhdhar.
Notably in the scam, 13 college managers have been arrested who were verified by these three officials. As many as 131 colleges are suspected of being involved in the SC ST scholarship scam. Over 100 colleges were verified by these three officials. The SIT is also following up the three colleges of Haridwar which had secured a stay from the High Court prior to SIT probe.
Speaking to this correspondent, SIT in-charge of Haridwar, Manjunath TC said, “Many renowned colleges are allegedly involved in SC ST scholarship scam. More FIRs will be lodged in due course of time. Today the three accused were produced before court including Som Prakash who is additional social welfare officer posted in Bhagwanpur
block of Haridwar district, and erstwhile officials Manish Kumar Tyagi and Dehradun resident Vinod Kumar Naithani. They have been taken on remand.”
The SIT has registered new FIRs against proprietors and officer-bearers of four different colleges of the district who allegedly secured about Rs 20 crore as scholarship funds showing fake admission of students. The four colleges under SIT scanner include Swami Darshananand Institute of Management and Technology, Ramanand Institute of Pharmacy and Management, Uttratech Polytechnic of Roorkee and Manav Bharti University of Himachal Pradesh.
The officials of these colleges have been held under Sections 420 (forgery), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant,) 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.
