Bihar toppers booked for cheating, forgery

Jitendra K Shrivastava

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Tribune News Service

Patna, June 7

An FIR has been registered against three Class XII toppers of the Bihar school boards and a college director on a complaint filed by the state education department for alleged irregularities in the exams, the police today said.

The action has been taken after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a high-level meeting of officials concerned and directed them to probe the matter as a criminal case.

State Secondary Education Director Rajiv Ranjan Prasad on Monday lodged a criminal case against three students — science toppers Saurabh Shreshtha and Rahul Kumar, and arts topper Rubi Rai — and the director of VR College of Vaishali at the Kotwali police station in Patna.

Saurabh, Rahul and Rubi are the students of VR College. Some science and arts toppers had failed to answer the basic questions that the board had asked in their retest.

They have been booked under relevant sections of IPC including section 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The Special Investigation Team, led by Additional Director General of Police-rank officer, has been asked to report within 10 days to the state police chief.

Three SIT teams today began their investigation at the office of Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), evaluation centre at Rajendra Nagar and Vishundev Rai College of Vaishali. They have seized some documents that might reveal the veracity of the matter.

State Education Minister Ashok Chaudhary said: “The special investigation teams have already initiated their probe into the case. The guilty will not be spared and stern action will be taken against them.”