The Vyapam Scam

Indore based activist’s opened the Pandora box, first calling for investigation in Pre-medical entrance test in 2009  

Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), also known by its Hindi acronym Vyapam (for Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal) has been in the news for both its investigations, and the resulting sequence of unfortunate deaths (of those related to the scam).

The now acknowledged discrepancy in the process of recruitment to government education institutes in the state came to light, with an Indore based activist filing public interest litigation for the pre-medical entrance test in 2009. However, the monitoring of the 145 staff, which emerged suspicious during the initial investigations, only resulted in deployment of hi-tech instruments to keep in check the impersonation in the exam appearance; as accused during the trial.

The whole trail of the scam caught serious attention only in 2013. What followed is the surfacing of a large nexus of politicians, bureaucrats, middle men, and the common man accused of triggering a controversy deep rooted in the causes of bribery, to secure high ranks in entrance tests.

Dr. Anand Rai again raised the controversy in the pre-medical test conducted in 2013. A special task force was created by the state government to investigate the matter in great detail; following accusations by the activist of the scam being initiated, way back in 2004.What followed was a massive trail of arresting students, MPPED officials, who were accused of cheating through personating. By 2014, scores of medical students were arrested for clearing the exam by fraudulent means. Students of reputed medical colleges in the state such as the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College were expelled in huge numbers, following the allegations.

The disturbing chain of events recently only led the national attention it grabbed on prime news channels. More than 40 persons, either accused, or witnesses to the case have died so far. All have suffered a mysterious death; what is suspicious is back to back deaths of people, who were considered as vital clues to the investigation. The state government’s special investigation team has highlighted the fact that most of the suspects have died under unnatural circumstances.

This massive rage against discrepancies in the medical entrance exams only got further triggered, with the death of a journalist investigating the case recently. With many students reported to have died a very unfortunate and untimely death, the recent case of Dr Arun Sharma, the 64-year-old dean of a medical college in Jabalpur, part of an inspection team of Medical Council of India; calls for an urgent investigation led by the CBI.