Millions of Rupees Embezzled in J&K ST Scholarship Scheme Scam; ACB Files Case Against Former Director and Seven College Operators.
Jammu Kashmir: A major scam has been uncovered in the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in Jammu. Crores of rupees were embezzled through fraudulent admissions and forged documents. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a case against the then-director of the Tribal Affairs Department and seven private institutions. This scam highlights major flaws in the government system, where private institutions and officials misused a scheme designed to help students, defrauding the government treasury of crores of rupees.
Fraudulent Admissions and Forged Documents
The ACB's initial investigation revealed that between 2014 and 2018, several private institutions in Jammu made fraudulent admissions in the names of ST students from remote areas. Fake documents and bank accounts were opened in these students' names, even though many had never enrolled in these colleges, or attended classes.
With the collusion of department officials and institutions, crores of rupees in scholarships were transferred directly to the institutions' accounts without verification. Under the scheme, each student was entitled to ₹18,000 for tuition fees and ₹2,300 as a maintenance allowance; however, this money was embezzled through fraudulent means instead of reaching the actual students.
Accused Include Former Director and 7 College Operators
The ACB has filed a case against the then-director of the Tribal Affairs Department, M.S. Chaudhary (now retired), along with the heads of seven private institutions. These include Shahnaz Akhtar Malik of Catalogue Computers; Humaira Bano and Firdaus Ahmad of Chirag Institute of IT; Sham Lal Tagotra of JKS-ITI; Jafar Hussain Wani of Evergreen Institute of Computer Technology; Purushottam Bharadwaj of Global Institute of IT; and Ramnik Kaur of Pankaj Memorial Charitable Trust. Cases have been filed against them under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Significant Loss to the Government Treasury
ACB officials say that more names may emerge during the investigation, and further arrests may be made. This scam has caused crores of rupees in losses to the government, money intended to help poor and needy students. The investigation is ongoing, and the layers of the case are gradually being revealed.
CBI Also Arrests Bahu Tehsildar
Meanwhile, the CBI has also taken action against Rohit Sharma, the then-tehsildar of the Bahu area in Jammu. A case has been filed against Rohit Sharma for acquiring assets exceeding his income by more than 200%. The investigation revealed that between 2020 and 2022, he amassed crores of rupees worth of property in his and his family's names. In 2020, Rohit Sharma's total assets were ₹14.35 lakh; however, by 2022, his assets had increased to over ₹1.33 crore. It is noteworthy that Rohit Sharma was caught red-handed accepting a bribe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on November 14, 2022.
