Even though the MP government faced a massive outrage over the increasing number of deaths of people related to the Vyapam scam, the SIT on Thursday maintained their stand that none of the deaths was connected to Vyapam. The comment by the SIT chairperson in support of STF has already set the tone for the CBI which will expect the local police to share its findings.
The three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), supervising the probe led by the Madhya government-appointed Special Task Force (STF), on Thursday said that the investigations into the Vyapam scam were about to conclude. The SIT reiterated that the investigations till now had been 'spotless'.
Even though the MP government faced a massive outrage over the increasing number of deaths of people related to the Vyapam scam, the SIT on Thursday maintained their stand that none of the deaths was connected to Vyapam. The comment by the SIT chairperson in support of STF has already set the tone for the CBI which will expect the local police to share its findings.
The statement came moments after the Supreme Court transferred all cases related to Vyapam scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation. "There are 125 FIRs registered in the Vyapam scam and charge- sheets have been filed in 28 of the 55 cases currently being investigated by the STF. The investigations in 15-20 cases which had not been charge-sheeted had almost concluded. The rest of the cases were also being probed effectively," said Justice Chandra Bhushan, the chairperson of the SIT.
Justice Bhushan added that the "SIT had no complaints about the way STF had carried out the investigation".
A day after the STF informed a special court that one of the key witnesses in a Vyapam case, Sanjay Kumar Yadav, supposed to be produced in front of the bench, had died due to an illness in a Bhopal hospital five months ago, the SIT managed to avert getting embroiled into another political controversy by saying "the job of SIT as well as the STF has officially concluded with the matter being officially transferred to CBI ". The response came from Justice Bhushan when asked whether local police had informed the STF about the death of the constable earlier.
According to director general of Special Armed Force (SAF) RL Prajapati, Constable Yadav (37) was deputed with 25th battalion of SAF in Bhopal and was posted at the Bhopal headquarters of the STF since October 2014 till January 16, 2015, the date when he took ill due to Hepatitis. Yadav was admitted to Katju hospital on Jan 16 this year and later shifted to Hajela hospital when his condition deteriorated. he was then transferred to Bansal hospital where he breathed his last. Police said that autopsy of the deceased had revealed that he had died due to 'alcoholic hepatitis', making him the fourth person to have died due to heaving drinking.
Yadav was a witness in the constable recruitment scam in which three accused, identified as Azharuddin, Naeem and Kaseem, all residents Uttar Pradesh, were arrested. The arrests were made in Bhopal with Yadav as a witness, officials told dna. It remains to be seen whether Yadav's death will also be probed by the CBI. More importantly, with Supreme Court directing the probe agency to investigate the deaths, which the government maintains is numbered at 31, there are speculations that investigation will potentially open a can of worms.
An opposition leader, requesting anonymity, said that even though roping in of CBI is a positive development, ramifications of the same if not checked can be dangerous. "Nearly 50 people have died mysterious during these years of investigation, road accidents, suicide and so on. I have reasons to believe that if the crack down by CBI is not strong enough, situation in MP will turn from bad to worse.
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