Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 3 (ANI): An old investigation into the alleged multi-state fake degree racket at Himachal Pradesh’s Manav Bharti University (MBU) has snowballed into a major political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the present Acting Director General of Police (DGP), Ashok Tiwari, of delaying criminal proceedings during his tenure as Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch-CID).
The Himachal Pradesh Police has rejected the allegations through an official clarification, while Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu dismissed the BJP’s charges as “false propaganda” and accused the opposition of attempting to politicise an ongoing investigation.
The controversy resurfaced after former minister and BJP leader Bikram Thakur questioned the role of the then ADGP (CID), alleging that despite the matter reaching the Crime Branch much earlier, criminal cases were registered only in March 2020.
Adding to the controversy, former Director General of Police SR Mardi also publicly questioned the handling of the investigation and alleged that the CID failed to comply with directions issued by the then police chief.
“CID disobeyed the directions of the DGP by not registering an FIR for more than two years. Two FIRs had been registered without delay, but the delay of more than two years has itself been mentioned in the FIR. The CID did not submit any report fixing responsibility for the delay of two years,” Mardi said.
He further claimed that after he became aware of the matter, he directed that criminal proceedings be initiated immediately.
“In 2017, the then DGP had ordered an investigation. Investigation is legally possible only after registration of an FIR. When the facts came to my notice, I ordered that an FIR be registered in Solan district and directed the DIG Range to camp in Solan and immediately seize all relevant documents,” Mardi said.
“The 2017 complaint is specific about 103 candidates. Hence, another FIR was registered. There is no question of concealing anything when I ordered CID to transfer all records to SP Solan,” he said.
The former police chief also stated that raids were subsequently conducted, including one at Mount Abu, to seize documents and computer hardware connected with the alleged fake degree racket.
Acting DGP Ashok Tiwari did not respond to repeated telephone calls and text messages seeking his comments. However, the Himachal Pradesh Police later issued a detailed clarification rebutting the allegations.
Rejecting allegations of delay, the Himachal Pradesh Police said official records clearly establish that the Crime Branch CID completed its preliminary inquiry within just one week and immediately recommended registration of a First Information Report (FIR).
According to the police, documentary records contradict allegations that the CID delayed the investigation or failed to take timely action.
The department maintained that the Crime Branch completed its assigned inquiry expeditiously and promptly submitted its recommendation for criminal proceedings.
The clarification also questioned the subsequent handling of the case, asking why the CID inquiry report was allegedly not acted upon in the manner recommended, why the FIR was eventually registered by Solan Police instead of the Crime Branch CID, and why authorities relied upon an earlier reference dated August 23, 2017 instead of the fresh inquiry completed by the CID.
According to the clarification, the Crime Branch CID transferred the complete case records to the Superintendent of Police, Solan, strictly in compliance with directions issued by the then Director General of Police.
“The Crime Branch CID neither delayed the inquiry nor suppressed any material or recommendation. It discharged its assigned responsibility promptly and in accordance with the directions issued,” the police said, adding that contemporaneous official records support its position.
The police further maintained that matters of public importance should be assessed based on verified documentary evidence rather than selective recollections or incomplete narratives.
The Congress government also mounted a counterattack, accusing the BJP of trying to create a political controversy over an old investigation.
Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani questioned why BJP leaders had not publicly exposed the alleged fake degree racket earlier if they already possessed information about it.
“If they had information about such a sensitive issue involving thousands of fake degrees, why did they keep it suppressed? It should have been brought before the public immediately,” Dharmani said.
He alleged that the BJP was repeatedly making sensational allegations without substantiating them.
Speaking to reporters in Chamba on Monday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said every investigation undertaken by his government was being conducted strictly according to law and accused the BJP of attempting to mislead the public.
Referring specifically to the Manav Bharti University case, Sukhu said the state government was following legal procedures and dismissed the BJP’s allegations as “false propaganda.”
“We are acting strictly according to law. The BJP is spreading falsehoods and trying to mislead the people,” the Chief Minister said.
Sukhu alleged that the previous BJP government had misused the state’s resources and asserted that every matter relating to the previous regime would be investigated impartially.
He said those responsible for causing losses to the state exchequer would not be spared and that any person found possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of income would face legal action.
The Chief Minister also challenged BJP leaders to seek greater financial assistance for Himachal Pradesh from the Centre instead of making political allegations.
The Manav Bharti University fake degree case first surfaced in 2017 and later culminated in the registration of three FIRs at Dharampur Police Station in Solan district during March 2020 after investigators allegedly uncovered a large-scale fake degree racket.
The investigation accused members of the university management and others of issuing degrees without evaluation, operating unauthorised study centres across several states, fabricating academic records and verification certificates, and conducting illegal off-campus academic programmes.
One of the biggest breakthroughs came during a raid conducted on March 7, 2020, when a police team led by Sub-Inspector Sahdev Dutt searched the university’s central store room and seized answer books, examination records and official university documents.
Investigators alleged that several students had been awarded degrees despite answer sheets never being evaluated.
According to the FIR, a BCA student allegedly received a degree and provisional certificates for the 2015-18 academic session although all 15 recovered answer sheets remained unchecked by examiners.
Police also alleged that another student received a provisional certificate despite four answer sheets remaining unevaluated. Investigators further claimed that several answer books showed overwriting of marks on cover pages without corresponding changes inside the evaluated answer scripts.
The first FIR originated from a complaint by a woman from Haryana, who alleged she had enrolled through an unauthorised Manav Bharti University study centre operating in Karnal after paying Rs 50,000.
She claimed that classes and examinations were conducted at the off-campus centre while students were informed that the Solan campus was still under construction. She further alleged that the university subsequently issued degree certificates and verification letters that enabled her to obtain government employment.
The third FIR was registered following a complaint by the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission after the university allegedly denied issuing 103 degrees and diplomas that had been submitted by the Directorate of Higher Education for verification.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has since continued examining thousands of seized university records, computer systems, financial transactions and examination documents to determine the full extent of the alleged fake degree network and identify everyone involved.
With the BJP directly questioning the role of the present Acting DGP during the initial stages of the investigation, the Himachal Pradesh Police insisting that the CID acted promptly, and the Congress government accusing the opposition of distorting the factual record, the years-old Manav Bharti University case has once again become the centre of a sharp political confrontation in the state. (ANI)
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