Racketeering by MP's private medical colleges

Private medical colleges meet their nemesis in MP

NK SINGH

Racketeering by private medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh has always been an open secret. Anyone with deep pockets could secure admission to medical colleges by paying amounts ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh to college owners or their agents. The private medical colleges were allowed to have their separate test and admission process. It was a process designed to be rigged.

Racketeering in medical and dental admissions continued because it generated huge funds, a turnover of Rs 800 crore, of course, all of it in black. Everyone was aware of the racket. Owners of these private colleges would often receive phone calls from the high and the mighty pleading for “rebate” in capitation fee to someone close to them. All stakeholders were happy, including those who got to share a part of the loot at election time.

Then came Vyapam, the scandal that shook Madhya Pradesh. A part of scam involved rigging of recruitment to government jobs. Another part involved rigging of medical admissions. The scam was unearthed in 2013. Those arrested in connection with the case included government officers, politicians including a senior member of Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet and many rich businessmen. They languished in prison for years.

One would think that Vyapam would put the fear of law in the hearts of owners of private medical colleges. But apparently they found the lure of lucre too irresistible. As MP high court’s last week order proves, even after Vyapam, they continued with their “business” as usual.

The high court has cancelled 104 of the 114 admissions in MBBS courses for the year 2017 through NRI quota in 6 private medical colleges. It found that private medical colleges had admitted non-NRI candidates under this quota even as MP Government’s Directorate of Medical Education, supposed to supervise the admission process, chose to look the other way.

The high court also expressed dissatisfaction over the directorate’s report regarding 94 admissions made during mop up round of counselling and asked it to submit a fresh and detailed report. It was alleged that in collusion with medical education department, operators of private colleges fixed impossible deadlines and conditions due to which deserving candidates were denied admissions, helping racketeers to sell seats to highest bidders.

Ironically, the high court order came even as CBI was in the process of rounding up owners and other functionaries of private medical colleges in connection with Vyapam scandal.

Another important point is that the government is equally guilty. The high court intervention came in response to a bunch of PILs by deserving candidates who complained that they were not admitted to medical courses because of bungling by medical education department, which colluded with owners of private medical colleges.

It is not the first time that MP Government has tried to help private medical colleges circumvent National Eligibility cum Entrance Test. Earlier this year the government had to cancel admissions to medical and dental college after Supreme Court rejected the state’s plea challenging the high court’s decision on admission of non-domicile candidates.

Thirty four students belonging to other states secured admission in the state’s medical colleges on fake domicile certificates. The complainants moved high court after directorate of medical education didn’t take any action despite repeated complaints. They proved their point in both high court and Supreme Court.

Madhya Pradesh is truly amazing. Supreme Court’s last year order of all medical admissions through NEET was supposed to stop private colleges’ Rs 800 crore racket of selling seats. But the racketeering continued.

On March 31 2016 MP Government, acting on a Supreme Court directive, took over the task of providing admissions to private medical and dental college via NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test). But authorities in MP created a nightmarish jigsaw puzzle of domicile, different fee structure and reservations for various quotas. Counselling held at Bhopal was engulfed in chaos, confusion, downright bedlam and midnight drama. There were scandalous stories of servers crashing, students’ names disappearing from website, last minute changes in software and candidates receiving sms for admission after deadline.

The mismanagement led to protest marches by candidates and their parents, gherao of police station and authorities and bleary eyed students spending nights at counselling centre. Writing about it I had commented in this column in DB Post of 9 October 2016, “it carries the classic signature tune of a scandal in the making.”

Vijay Raman, an MP cadre police officer, was a member of MP High Court appointed SIT to oversee Vyapam investigation. He is considered one of our finest police officers, courageous, brave and a man of integrity. This is what he had to say after CBI took action against private medical college owners: “There is no doubt that the Medical colleges of Bhopal and Indore enjoy patronage both at the political and senior decision making level of the officialdom. They have been given large chunks of prime land in both cities. Hope at least some politicians and bureaucrats will be held responsible.” Amen.

Powers That Be, my column in DB Post of Dec 4, 2017

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