Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar Aug 4: The former chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE), Dr Bashir Ahmad Sheikh, was arrested by the Crime Branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police for his role in granting permission to the establishment of Elementary Teachers Training (ETT) Colleges in the State.
Inspector General of Police Crime Branch Muneer Ahmad Khan told Excelsior that Sheikh was arrested from Srinagar last night for his involvement in granting permission to the establishment of ETT colleges in the State fraudulently. “We arrested him after his role was established in the scam. We are questioning him as investigations are still on”, he said.
“There are two cases registered in the ETT scam. One is in Srinagar and another in Jammu. The cases have been registered for offences of corruption (under 5(2) PC Act) as well as RPC Sections of 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (counterfeit seal)”, Khan said.
The IG Crime said that Crime Branch is investigating the scam batch-wise. “The investigation pertains to 494 ETT colleges in Jammu and around 70 such institutes in Kashmir and we are investigating them batch-wise details from 2003 onwards,” he said.
The report of Crime Branch gives reference of one of the ETT institutes that had admitted 127 students for undergoing ETT course but only one candidate was found in the institute and only one teacher was available there at the time of inspection by the Crime Branch.
The report says that the students, who were being admitted in these institutions, were mostly from outside the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Some students examined by the Investigating Agency admitted that they have not studied in the colleges and institutes where they were admitted for undergoing ETT course but attended the college only on the day of examination and were awarded degrees.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court is monitoring the investigations of the case by Crime Branch. The Crime Branch has already informed the court that the ETT Colleges is a big money scandal and almost all concerned people are involved in the loot as the candidates are lured and huge amount, ranging from Rs.45000 to Rs. 80000 is received from each student and this scandal is run by mafia in league with top brass of the Board.
Sources said that majority of these colleges are run by the politicians along with Education Department and Kashmir University officials. These politicians have got the NOC’s from the Kashmir University, BOSE and other departments fraudulently. All these colleges lack teaching staff and requisite infrastructure.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has also prepared a detailed report on these colleges but the owners of the colleges who are powerful politicians have managed stay from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court for publishing of that report that also exposes the fraud.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
Comments are closed.