Anna University scam should be probed by multi-disciplinary experts: Ramadoss

PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Saturday said the marks-for-money scam in Anna University should be probed by a team of experts drawn from different fields rather than being investigated by the anti-corruption wing of the government.

In a statement issued here S. Ramadoss said it is said that officials at various levels in the Anna University were involved in the re-evalutiaon of answer sheets scam.

According to Ramadoss, the scam cannot be probed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) wing alone. Using the holes in the procedure for re-evalution of answer sheets the intricate marks-for-money scam was perpertrated.

He said only education experts and those involved in education administration alone can understand the issues involved in this scam.

The PMK leader said the state government should constitute a team comprising of senior DVAC officials, education experts and those involved in education administration to probe the scam.

The varsity has suspended its former Controller of Examination G.V. Uma, a Professor in the Department of Information Science and Technology, for the irregularities reported in the re-evaluation of engineering examination answersheets, officials said.

Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Eduction K.P. Anbalagan told reporters that evidence was being collected against the suspects.

On Friday Ramadoss had demanded a probe into the role of private engineering colleges as well as former Vice Chancellors and Education Department officials in the scam.

Investigating a complaint regarding irregularities in the re-evaluation of answersheets, the DVAC had registered a case against 10 officials including Uma, Controller of Examinations between 2015 and 2018.

DVAC teams had also searched Uma's house here, apart from those of P. Vijayakumar and R. Shivakumar in Dindivanam and the office of Controller of Examinations on August 1.

According to DVAC, students who had applied for re-evalution of answersheets paid Rs 10,000 per subject to get higher marks.

In 2017, 302,380 students had applied for re-evaluation, of which 73,733 passed exams and 16,636 others improved their scores.

Officials were accused of destroying original answersheets of students who had paid bribes.--IANS

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