[The Vyapam scam is different from any other scam in Independent India. While scandals continue without let, many involving thousands of crores of rupees as we saw in the last decade, never has the country witnessed the frightening phenomenon of around 46 [+2] deaths taking place in mysterious circumstances of those associated with a scam. Some ‘middlemen’ died in ‘accidents’ , the body of an accused was found on a railway track, yet others committed ‘suicide’.]
I/III. http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toi-edit-page/big-time-money-scams-we-have-seen-but-a-killer-scam-is-a-new-low-for-indian-polity/ Big time money scams we have seen but a killer scam is a new low for Indian polity July 7, 2015, 12:06 am IST Neerja Chowdhury in TOI Edit Page | Edit Page, India | TOI ***The Vyapam scam is different from any other scam in Independent India. While scandals continue without let, many involving thousands of crores of rupees as we saw in the last decade, never has the country witnessed the frightening phenomenon of around 46 [+2] deaths taking place in mysterious circumstances of those associated with a scam. Some ‘middlemen’ died in ‘accidents’ , the body of an accused was found on a railway track, yet others committed ‘suicide’.*** [Emphasis added.] Pointing fingers at the Governor, CM, senior ministers, top bureaucrats and police officials, this scam has belatedly burst on the national scene – with recent fatalities including a young TV Delhi journalist who went to Madhya Pradesh to piece together the story. And he was dead the next day, the death made more tragic by the revelation of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh that he had cautioned him the previous day ‘to be careful’ . It has raised serious questions about the safety of journalists in the India of 2015. Given the unease that the deaths have generated across Madhya Pradesh and India, and the growing lack of confidence in the Special Task Force (and SIT) probing the matter, it is a no brainer that the probe be handed over to CBI under the supervision of the Supreme Court – as is being demanded by opposition parties. For the simple reason that the local police is hardly likely to act against its bosses. The CM may argue that STF is acting without interference, but the fact is that the confidential reports of STF personnel are given by none other than the state government. From the way that anger is building up against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, it is also in the interest of the beleaguered CM – once seen as a possible PM – to make the request for CBI both to the court and the Centre. What’ s curious is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on the subject, just as he did not say a word about Lalitgate. Several theories are being bandied about on the reasons for his silence. Since those involved in the controversies – Sushma Swaraj, who was also a PM contender at one time, Vasundhara Raje, with an independent mass following, and now Chouhan – were not known for their proximity to him, is he giving them a long rope to hang themselves, so to speak, instead of being seen to be acting against them? Yet others believe that action against them could unite all his detractors, including members of the Margdarshan Mandal comprising senior leaders like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. And he would like to avoid this before the Bihar elections, so critical for the future trajectory of his government. Vyapam has given an otherwise down and out opposition yet another stick to beat BJP with. But its gravity goes beyond that. Big time money scams we have seen. But a killer scam? That is a new low for our polity. II/III. http://www.ndtv.com/cheat-sheet/vyapam-killer-scam-explained-in-10-points-778625 10 Point Cheat Sheet Vyapam 'Killer' Scam Explained in 10 Points Cheat Sheet | Reported by Siddharth Ranjan Das, Edited by Veer Arjun Singh | Updated: July 06, 2015 14:34 IST Vyapam 'Killer' Scam Explained in 10 Points File Photo: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. (PTI Photo) The Vyapam scam - and the deaths of 35 people with links to it - has left the government of Shivraj Singh Chouhan battling accusations of a perfidious conspiracy. Here is a 10-point guide to the controversy: The scam erupted in 2013- with reports that bribes were being paid by those seeking admission to medical colleges. In exchange for kickbacks, politicians, bureaucrats and others were allowing imposters to take the admission exam. Similar "proxy candidates" were used for recruitment exams for jobs as government teachers and doctors. Vyapam is acronym for Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal. Since the investigation into the scam began, 35 people have died. They include witnesses, accused, those assisting the investigation and a journalist who was covering the scam. Since August 2013, the investigation is being handled by a Special Task Force of the Madhya Pradesh police. In 2014, the Madhya Pradesh High Court rejected demands for a CBI inquiry from the Congress and others. Instead, it appointed a committee with three members headed by a former judge - to monitor the police inquiry. This committee is intended to serve as a watchdog for the inquiry, the High Court has said. There are 2,500 accused in the scam; 1,900 are in prison. About 500 are missing, the police has told the court. 55 cases have been filed so far. The opposition Congress says that 77 lakh candidates have paid bribes as part of the scam. Story First Published: July 06, 2015 13:50 IST III. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/vyapam-scam-chief-minister-asks-for-cbi-inquiry-says-government-should-be-above-suspicion-778985 Yielded to Public Wish for CBI Inquiry in Vyapam Scam: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to NDTV All India | Written by Suparna Singh | Updated: July 07, 2015 19:03 IST Yielded to Public Wish for CBI Inquiry in Vyapam Scam: Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to NDTV [Video] Click to Play Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaks to NDTV on the Vyapam scam Bhopal: Faced with the strongest demand for his removal in nearly 10 years as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan today told NDTV that he had "yielded to the wishes of the public" by asking the CBI to investigate a scam that has besieged his government. "A democracy functions on the voice of the people," said the Chief Minister, who won his third consecutive term in 2013. "The incidents of the last few days have disturbed me," he said, referring to the opposition's allegations that the recent deaths of those linked to the scam are part of a brutal cover-up. "I have asked for the CBI to examine the deaths as well, but don't link every death to the investigation," he said. Related Democracy Runs on People's Voice, So the Decision of CBI Probe, Chief Minister Chouhan to NDTV on Vyapam Scam Mysterious? No. Abnormal, Yes: Ex-Judge and SIT Chief on 35 Vyapam Deaths PM Need Not Answer on Simple, Silly Issues: Union Minister Sadananda Gowda on Vyapam Deaths Since 2013, the Vyapam scam, as it is known, has been investigated by a special team of the state's police force under the supervision of a retired judge. For years, Mr Chouhan and the Madhya Pradesh High Court did not entertain the suggestion that a CBI inquiry would likely be more impartial. The weekend's developments led to a national takeover of what had largely been a state-level controversy about a corrupt system where imposters or fake candidates took qualifying exams for highly-prized admissions to state-run colleges and government jobs. On Saturday, a journalist reporting on the Vyapam scam died suddenly. The next day, the dean of a medical college linked to the scam was found dead. The outrage over those deaths allowed the Congress, which has had no joy in Madhya Pradesh for over a decade, to recover some of its mojo as an opposition party. Its Digvijaya Singh is among four people whose appeal for a CBI inquiry will be heard on Thursday by the Supreme Court. "This is not a crisis for me," said Mr Chouhan to NDTV. "There hasn't been a more widespread investigation than the one held for the Vyapam scam," he claimed. 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