Vyapam scam whistleblower Anand Rai transferred

Bhopal, Jul 20: Days after he lodged a complaint with CBI against senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Vikram Verma, Vyapam scam whistleblower and government doctor Anand Rai has been transferred from Indore to Dhar district.

Rai had lodged a complaint with the CBI alleging that Verma, using his influence and power, had got his daughter, pursuing MBBS in Santosh Medical College at Ghaziabad, transferred to Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal. Rai, who was on deputation at the health department's training institute in Indore, was transferred yesterday.

His wife Gouri, who is also a government doctor, too was transferred from civil hospital at Mhow in Indore to Ujjain district hospital last month.

However, unfazed by the transfer, Dr Rai today said that he is going to move the court to challenge his transfer. "I am being hounded for lodging a complaint against Verma on July 17 and exposing the Vyapam scam. People involved in the wrongdoings were running the state," he alleged.

Meanwhile, another Vyapam scam whistleblower Ashish Chaturvedi said he along with his colleagues will write a letter to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking that the transfers of Rai and his wife be revoked. "If the government doesn't do so, we are going to protest," Chaturvedi said. The whistleblowers in MP are being hounded, he alleged.

"We won't sit quiet against the corrupt government. President's Rule should be imposed in Madhya Pradesh to replace Governor Ram Naresh Yadav and Chief Minister Chouhan, who are also allegedly involved in the Vyapam scam and holding highest posts in the state," he said.

The CBI has registered at least 12 cases so far, following Supreme Court's direction, to probe the scam. Massive irregularities in various professional examinations and government job tests conducted by Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or 'Vyapam' have been unearthed.

The scam allegedly involves several state government officials, former ministers and politicians. At least, 55 cases have been registered by the MP police and 2,000 accused have been arrested, police said. The Opposition Congress has alleged that at least 49 people associated with the scam have so far died under "mysterious" circumstances.

PTI