A CBI probe into the Vyapam admission scam in Madhya Pradesh was ruled out by the Centre on Monday as troubles mounted for chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after a woman trainee sub-inspector recruited by the state board was found dead in a lake.
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The ongoing spate of unusual deaths in Vyapam case seems to be unstoppable as one more death registered on Monday related to the scam.
Investigators say thousands of people got jobs or medical degrees from systematic exam cheating that generated millions of dollars in bribes in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
“Loktantra lok lajja se chalta hai (public perception is important in a democracy)”. “We are open to an enquiry by any agency, including the CBI, if the court so orders”, he said clearly. “We remain firm on our demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe”, Scindia said here today. STF is probing the matter under the supervision of the SIT headed by a ex- judge justice Chandresh Bhushan and constituted on the direction of the high court. Congress rejects it in toto.
Four more people connected to the case have died since the weekend, just days before a Supreme Court hearing and amid opposition accusations that a regional unit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party was protecting the accused.
On Tuesday, union Law Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda said Prime Minister Modi “need not answer (queries) on silly issues” like the Vyapam scandal.
“But still it is a State subject…a suo motu CBI investigation can not be conducted unless the State government requests for CBI investigation”, he said. “The needle of suspicion points at the chief minister”, he added. “With a CBI probe, everything will be crystal clear in the case”. Some of the most high-profile arrests include that of Lakshmikant Sharma, ex- Madhya Pradesh education minister and his associates. He is reported to have exposed people close to the chief minister.
The BJP, however, hailed Chouhan’s announcement and hit back at the Congress for playing “politics of death” and said a thorough probe will “expose and corner” the opposition party. After 61% voted “no” to austerity in exchange for aid, Greece’s “erratic Marxist” finance minister resigned as the country races against time to find a new bailout deal that could stall a Grexit.
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This might worsen the already complicated situation for MP CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan. It said Chouhan, who has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for over a decade, is trying to “mislead” people by requesting a CBI probe.
