The CBI on Friday registered five new cases in the Vyapam scam, including one to probe the mysterious death of MBBS student Namrata Damor in 2012. Also, the CBI lodged a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) to look into the suspicious death of a television journalist Akshay Singh in the first week of July, 2015, who was in the State to cover the Vyapam scam.
While the Madhya Pradesh Police had maintained that 19-year-old Damor, who was found dead on January 7, 2012, was suffering from depression and had committed suicide, but two doctors gave different opinions about her death raising suspicion.
According to the original autopsy report, her death occurred due to violent asphyxia and sexual intercourse was ruled out. The subsequent autopsy conducted by a different hospital claimed suicide, “confirmed” presence of human spermatozoa on the vaginal smear and surprisingly claimed she had an affair with a person and that could be the possible reason for the suicide.
The girl, who had allegedly taken the illegal route to gain admission to Gwalior Medical College, is believed to have been a witness in the case. The agency has registered a case under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC.
The agency registered a PE into the suspicious death of journalist Singh of Aaj Tak Hindi news channel. The Madhya Pradesh Police had earlier carried out inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code. “The enquiry has now been taken over by CBI by way of instituting a PE,” a CBI spokesperson said. Singh had died minutes after interviewing Damor’s parents.
In the second FIR, the agency also registered a regular case in connection with the alleged illegalities committed in the police Constable recruitment examination conducted in 2013 by Vyapam.
The STF had arraigned 18 persons as accused in the case. The third case has been registered against 22 people for offences, including criminal conspiracy and cheating and also against those who allegedly impersonated and cheated in the Pre Medical Test of VYAPAM conducted in 2009.
The fourth case relates to alleged illegalities in the Pre-Medical Test of 2010 and only one person has been named as an accused.
The fifth case pertains to alleged irregularities during an examination conducted by Vyapam in 2010 in which the State police had named four accused. Seven more accused were later included by the Special Task Force in this case.
With the registration of the five cases on Monday, the number of FIRs lodged so far by CBI in connection with the massive rigging of examinations for recruitment in government jobs and admissions in educational institutions has gone up to 10.
The CBI team, which has been camping in Bhopal for the last five days, had registered five cases in connection with the alleged scam which included a case against member of Madhya Pradesh Backward Classes and Minorities Commission member and his son.
With the Supreme Court while handing over the investigation in the scam to the CBI having asked it to probe the deaths of people linked to it, the agency had earlier called for records from the Superintendents of Police of Ujjain, Kanker, Gwalior, Jhabua and DIG, Indore, of “mysterious” deaths in the case.
The Congress has alleged at least 49 people associated with the scandal have so far died under “mysterious” circumstances.