Vyapam scam: CBI registers PE into 9 deaths

New Delhi, Jul 18: CBI on Saturday registered a preliminary inquiry into the mysterious deaths of nine persons allegedly linked to Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh. Agency sources said no action was initiated by the state police in all these deaths.

They said the PE has been registered to examine whether these deaths were fallout of the Vyapam Scam or not.

The probe relates to deaths of Anand Singh, Ashutosh Tiwari, Gyan Singh, Anant Ram Tagore, Ravendra Prakash Singh, Prem Lata Pandey, Vikas Pandey, Rajendra Arya and Sanjay Kumar Yadav.

Tiwari, a student of Gajra Raja Medical College in Gwalior, had allegedly died of heart attack in 2013 while Rajendra Arya is said to have succumbed to liver illness.

Sanjay Kumar Yadav, who was a key witness in the Constable recruitment scam, also claimed to have died because of liver ailment.

Anantram Tagore, whose son was allegedly admitted in a college through Vyapam, died of unspecified disease while Ravendra Prakash Singh died of suspected poisoning or mysterious illeness.

Vikas Pandey is said to have died because of brain haemorrhage. Gyan Singh allegedly died due to drug reaction while Prem Lata Pandey, a suspect in Contract Teacher Scam, allegedly died of liver cancer.

Besides, these deaths which are claimed to be of natural causes, the agency has also taken over two more cases from STF-- Contractual School Teachers Eligibility Test – Grade-III in 2011 in which 99 persons are accused and Contractual School Teachers Eligibility Test – Grade-II in which 76 people are accused.

"It pertains to illegalities conducted in the Samvida Shala Shikshak Patrata Pareeksha Varg-III (Contractual School Teachers Eligibility Test – Grade-III) conducted in 2011 by VYAPAM of Madhya Pradesh," CBI Spokesperson said on the first FIR here.

About the second FIR, she said case pertains to illegalities conducted in the Samvida Shala Shikshak Patrata Pareeksha Varg-II (Contractual School Teachers Eligibility Test – Grade-II) conducted in 2011 by the VYAPAM of Madhya Pradesh.

PTI