The Congress party has leveled serious allegations against the vice president of the Bharatiya Janata Party?s (BJP) Minority Wing, accusing him of involvement in the NEET-UG scam. This accusation extends to the chairman of the Jay Jalaram Education Trust, who is reportedly a close aide of the BJP.
During a press conference on Saturday, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil presented the allegations, which are based on an affidavit purportedly filed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) of Godhra in the sessions court. These claims are expected to intensify the ongoing protests and concerns over the integrity of the NEET exam.
"The government has claimed in the Supreme Court that the paper was not leaked, and their ministers have said that ?sab changa si? (all is well). However, the DySP in the sessions court in Godhra admitted that crores of rupees were recovered during the investigation, along with several blank cheques provided by the parents of students who attended the examination centre," said Gohil.
He further elaborated that, according to the affidavit, substantial sums of money were taken in advance from students in Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Bihar, with blank cheques collected to cover varying amounts based on the college to which the student would gain admission.
Gohil alleged that students were instructed to choose their preferred exam center, specifically the Jay Jalaram School, Gujarati Medium. Parents were asked to pay 10 lakh rupees in advance and submit blank cheques. "Police have recovered a list of the roll numbers of students involved in the scam, with roll numbers marked in brown and red to identify those whose money has been received," he added.
The Congress leader also claimed that students were advised to fill in only the answers they were confident about, with the promise that someone else would complete the remaining answers on their OMR sheets before sealing them.
Among the main accused is Tushar Bhat, the deputy superintendent of the examination center at Jay Jalaram Education Trust, who also worked there as a professor. Another key figure is Purshottam Mahavir Prasad, the city coordinator for NEET in Godhra district and the principal of the same examination center. These two individuals were responsible for sealing the answer sheets.
Earlier this month, five people, including the school principal of Jalaram School in Godhra town in Gujarat?s Panchmahal district, were arrested for allegedly attempting to help students fraudulently clear the NEET-UG examination.
The scandal has raised significant concerns about the fairness and transparency of the NEET exam, with calls for a thorough investigation to hold all responsible parties accountable. The Congress party's allegations suggest a deeper, more systemic issue within the examination process, pointing to potential high-level complicity and corruption.
