Solan varsity assistant registrar held in fake degree scam: CM Thakur

The Himachal Pradesh Police has arrested the assistant registrar of Solan-based Manav Bharti University in an alleged fake degree scam.

Police also sealed the administrative complex of its sister concern Madhav University in Rajasthan.

Giving a statement in the state assembly during the Budget session on Wednesday, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur told the House that it was evident from the documents seized from the Solan university that they were playing with students' future by issuing fake degrees for long.

Assistant Registrar Munish Goel was arrested on March 8 and remanded in three-day police custody, he said, adding that three FIRs were lodged against the university on March 3, 7 and 8 under various sections of the IPC, including cheating charges, at the Solan's Dharampur police station.

Thakur further stated that an FIR was also registered against Una-based Indus University at the Haroli police station on March 9.

Stating that all four FIRs were being thoroughly investigated, the CM said a complaint received against APG University of Shimla was also being probed by a special investigation team (SIT) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

The CM said the state police seized 305 detailed mark cards, 15 degrees, computer hard disc, laptop, pen drive, stamps and several other documents during its raid on March 6 at the solan university.

Thakur said police also searched MBU owner Raj Kumar Rana's another Madhav University in Rajasthan's Mount Abu and sealed its administrative complex after seizing 1,376 blank degrees, 14 stamps, four despatch registers, 50 migration certificates, 319 blank detailed mark cards and several other documents.

The CM said one of the three FIRs against the Solan university was lodged on March 3 on the complaint of Haryana's Charkhi Dadri resident Mamta, in which she alleged that she was given a fake degree.

The other two FIRs were lodged by the Solan police and the CID wing of Shimla on the basis of the documents seized from university premises on March 7 and 8, he added.

Similarly, the FIR against Indus University was lodged on the complaint of Ashutosh, a resident of Una district.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri on February 27 had pointed out that there were reports about the involvement of two private universities of the state in a fake degree scam.

Replying to it, Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj had then said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) had received a complaint alleging that 18 private universities, including two in Himachal Pradesh, were selling fake degrees.

The state police was probing the matter and strict action will be taken if any university is found selling fake degrees, he had added.