Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Nov 29: In a startling revelation that points a finger of suspicion towards involvement of top functionaries of the Government in the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Exams (JKBOPEE) Common Entrance Test- 2012 scam, the BOPEE was without Controller of Examinations in 2012 that gave its former chairman, Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, direct access to the Question papers which he sold for lakhs of rupees.
According to the investigations of Crime Branch, there was no Controller of Examinations posted to the BOPEE in year 2012 and Peer was functioning as Controller of CET-2012 Examinations besides being its chairman.
According to the BOPEE Act 2002 Section 12 (B) Controller is responsible for making arrangements for the conduct of the examinations including setting and printing of papers and making its secrecy and safe custody. “He is also responsible for dispatch and transit of question booklets, answer scripts, tabulation of results and other related matters.
The Crime Branch has found that Peer has failed to maintain secrecy and instead he sold the papers to one Farooq Ahmad Itoo for Rs 60 lakh and committed breach of trust and misused his official position.
The CET-2013 was conducted on June 23 and 24 and Government appointed Peer’s successor on June 20 but he was made to work as Officer on Special Duty for two months as sources said a top politician managed Peer’s two months’ extension so that he could get time to put an iron curtain over his deeds.
Peer was appointed as BOPEE chairman in March 2009 for two years and was later given an extension of one more year and then two more months due to his proximity with one of the top politicians of the State.
Sources said that Peer has not revealed the modus operandi of selling of the CET-2012 Question papers and the number of people to whom he sold these papers. So far Crime Branch has found that he sold Question papers to Farooq Ahmad Itoo for Rs 60 lakh.
Sources said that Peer is not cooperating with the investigators and believed that he might have sold these papers to more brokers but so far he has not divulged anything about that.
Crime Branch during the investigation found that Peer sold Question papers of CET-2012 to Farooq Ahmad Itoo, Proprietor M/S Infotec Bijbehara, Anantnag for Rs 60 lakh who then sold it to several candidates out of which over a dozen were identified while Crime Branch is still trying to put the threads together to reach out to around two dozen other candidates.
Peer and Itoo have a long association since 2001-2003, when Peer inspected Itoo’s computer centre for grating him registration with NCPUL New Delhi. According to statements of Itoo, he visited Peer’s house at Nageen in May 2012 to get admission in MBBS course for few of his candidates. “Peer asked Itoo to come in May 2012 and deal was settled for Rs 60 lakh, out of which Rs 30 lakh were paid to Peer at the time of handing over of Question papers and rest amount was paid after CET-2012 results”, Itoo has told Crime Branch.
After striking deal with Peer in May, Itoo started looking for selling Question papers to candidates. He struck a deal of Rs 23 lakh with Shafiqurehman of Kanilwan, Anantnag; Rs 2.5 lakh with Amira Shakeel; Rs 5 lakh with Ghulam Mohidin Lone for his son Mushtaq Ahmad Lone of Bijbehara. He made separate deals with Khursheed Ahmad Dar of Chingund for Rs 3 lakh, Bazila Bilal Ved of Bijbehara for Rs 10 lakh, Naveed Ahmad Dar R/O Sangam for Rs 13 lakh, Yasir Yusuf Dar of Bijbehara for Rs 7 lakh and Yasir Yusuf Hajgam of Chanpajan for Rs 2 lakhs through some of his friend.
Farooq told Crime Branch that he also made a deal with one Sajjad Ahmad Bhat of Kulgam for Rs 30 lakh for a copy of the Question papers. All the candidates were asked to assemble at Nehru Park parking lot in Srinagar between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on June 22, 2012, a day before the examination.
Farooq booked four rooms in Daljeet Guest House for his candidates on June 22. Farooq’s eight candidates appeared at Parking lot and six of them were taken to Guest house and two girls were taken to Bemina. The eight candidates included Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, Yasir Yusuf Dar, Shafiqur Rehman Lone, Khurshid Ahmad Dar, Naveed Ahmad Bhat, Yasir Yusuf Hajam, Bazla Bilal Ved and Amira Shakeel.
Farooq Itoo went to Peer’s house and paid him Rs 30 lakh who handed him over a set of papers. Farooq went to Guest House and made several sets of the Question papers and handed them over to the candidates at the Guest House and driver Manzoor Ahmad Gania of Chingund Bijbehara took two sets of Question papers to Bemina for two girl candidates.
Farooq Itoo provided one set of Question papers to Sajjad Ahmad Bhat for his candidates which he had arranged separately. Sajjad had given one set of papers to Haroon Rashid Lone of Dialgam for Rs 13 lakh a day before the CET-2012 examination. Sajjad also distributed few copies in Srinagar to some of the candidates with whom he had made a deal.
Haroon Rashid has given the two sets of Question papers one each to Farooq Ahmad Shah of Monghal and Mohammad Amin Ganai of Chee for Rs 15 lakh.
Crime Branch has also found money transactions taking place between the brokers and candidates. The investigating agency is trying to find out the missing links so as to trace out the other beneficiaries.
Crime Branch in its objections to Peer bail plea has prayed before the court that he should not be granted the bail as he can influence the witnesses that will hamper the investigations.
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