PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
The probe into alleged fake freedom fighter-dependent certificates used for NEET-UG MBBS admissions has now reached the government offices which verify and issue these certificates. Four MBBS admissions have been cancelled and five women have been booked in two cases. The SIT is now checking the role of officials who verified and issued the certificates to the accused.
“The SIT is being led by the chief development officer. If any official is found to be involved in the matter, they will not be spared,” Dehradun district magistrate Ashish Chauhan said on Wednesday.
The case came to light during MBBS admissions through Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Medical Education University. Officials found that four students had used freedom fighter-dependent identity certificates in the name of the same person. However, the relevant record of the freedom fighter was not found in the district administration register.
The four admissions were later cancelled after discrepancies were also found in address verification, affidavits and other documents. Police cases have been registered at Raipur and Clement Town police stations. Five women are accused in the two FIRs. Four are MBBS students, while the fifth is the mother of one student.
The SIT is now checking the process followed before the certificates were issued. Investigators are examining the roles of officials at the Lekhpal, Patwari and SDM levels. They are checking which documents were verified, how the verification reports were prepared and who approved the certificates.
“The investigation will determine whether there were lapses or wrongdoing during the verification process. It will identify those who prepared the documents and how they were used in the admission process,” a senior officer informed.
