Dental college head booked for fraud
From Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

MANSA, Nov 16 — Mr Naginder Singh Harika, Managing Director, Khalsa Dental College and Hospital, Nangal Kalan has been booked by the Sadar police on the charge of running the college for about three years without any authorisation from the Dental Council of India and collecting crores of rupees from students in the shape of capitation fee.

The managing director was booked on the orders of the Additional DGP (Crime), Punjab, by the police on November 4, 1999, under Sections 420, 465 and 467, IPC, after inquiries on a complaint by Mr Suresh Kumar Sharma, a retired bureaucrat.

In an FIR, Mr Sharma alleged that Mr Naginder Singh Harika had collected Rs 25 crore by illegally running the unapproved dental college from November 16, 1995 to August 18, 1998. He said after admitting his daughter to the college, he had made inquiries and was stunned to learn that the said college had been neither approved by the Government of India nor by the Dental Council of India.

He said admission to the BDS was done in November, 1995, without any written permission from the Central Government, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The admissions were done in violations of the provisions of the Dentist Act, 1948.

He alleged that Punjabi University, Patiala, had allowed the college to function and conduct examination for the (Ist year) BDS batch in 1996, even when the college was not granted approval by the Government of India.

He said Mr Naginder Singh inserted advertisement in the newspapers "misusing" the letter of intent of the Government of India. The matter of admitting students into the college without valid permission was raised by CPI leader Hardev Arshi in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in March 1996.

The then Special Secretary, Health, Punjab, Mr D.S. Bains, after looking into the matter asked the Punjabi University authorities to withdraw affiliation to the college. He also asked the Dental Council of India to derecognise the college even when it was not recognised.

The college continued to function due to some "reasons". Punjabi University continued to conduct the examinations. Mr Naginder Singh admitted more than 60 students to the college, which were allowed by Punjabi University.

Mr Sharma alleged that in August, 1997, the college admitted 108 girl students, stating that the college was approved by the Dental Council of India and was for women only.

He said the Dental Council of India inspected the college in 1995 for the first time and did not grant it permission. The name of Khalsa Dental College and Hospital, Nangal Kalan (Mansa), did not figure in the list of approved institutions published by the Dental Council of India in 1997.

He said the Government of Punjab granted permission to the said college for increasing the seats from 60 to 100. The college changed its name from Khalsa Dental College and Hospital to Khalsa Dental College and Hospital for Women with the permission of authorities concerned. The government also issued a no-objection certificate to the college in May, 1998, when the college did not have approval even for 60 seats by the Government of India.

The college was formally given permission by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on August 19, 1998, for starting a dental college in Khalsa Dental College and Hospital at Nangal Kalan. The permission was granted only for one year and the college authorities were asked to provide the infrastructure as per the norms laid down by the Dental Council of India.

Mr Sharma argued that this proved the college was being run without approval prior to 1998.

Mr Naginder Singh, when contacted, said he had all documents with him which could prove that the college was being run with the approval of the Government of India and the Dental Council of India. He made an attempt to influence this reporter.

Mr Yurinder Singh, SSP, said investigations were on and the law would take its own course.