The college that gave Bihar too many toppers for govt’s comfort

Principal Bachcha Rai after his arrest.

Vishun Roy College is named after the grandfather of principal Amit Kumar, also known as Bachcha Rai, now arrested. The grandfather was an influential landlord, his son Rajdev Rai is a politician who lost an MLC election last year on an RJD ticket, and the grandson a masters in music who had passed class XII on the third attempt.

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Today Bachcha Rai runs more institutes on the one-acre V R College campus — Rajdev Rai Degree College and Rajdev Rai B Ed College, both affiliated to B R Ambedkar Bihar University in Muzaffarpur, as well as R D Public School for classes I to X. Elsewhere, he runs Siyawati Lalmuni Kuldeep Degree College at Patepur of Muzaffarpur, again affiliated to BRABU, besides a degree college each at Lalganj and Mahua (Vaishali).

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“There was two vigilance complaints against Bachcha Rai in Muzaffarpur in 2014 for allegedly having influenced the affiliation committee without meeting requirements, such as a degree college needing at least 10 acres. But he had got clean chit,” Dr Harendra Kumar, former senator and member of the syndicate at BRABU, told The Indian Express.

The BSEB has suspended V R College’s recognition in the wake of the controversy surrounding its toppers, whose results have since been suspended. Amid allegations of a nexus with the board, a special investigation team of Patna police has arrested former board chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad.

The college is run by a trust. The principal’s mother Lalmuni Devi is chairman of the governing body, father Rajdev Rai its secretary and uncle Ramchandra Rai a member. The principal’s wife Sangeeta Kumari is a clerk, brother Jitendra Kumar is head clerk, and sister-in-law Sangeeta Rai and brother-in-law Rajiv Ranjan too are clerks.

The principal’s daughter Sonali had topped the science exam from the college and been felicitated by then CM Jitan Ram Manjhi. The college rolls had a record 1,007 candidates in first division last year. From 2012 to 2014, VR College students were consistently among the top five; this year, the college sent four toppers, three of whose results have been cancelled.

Its record attracts students not just from Vaishali but from Patna, Nalanda, Saran, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Sitamarhi.

“The game of getting a first division and securing top positions start with students getting full marks in college practicals,” said an education board source. “When answer-sheets of most Vaishali colleges were sent to Bhojpur for evaluation, it is surprising that VR College’s answer-sheets were evaluated in Patna.”

Last year’s board results led to then education minister P K Shahi setting up the probe committee under Hasan Waris. The previous year, the board had to moderate the results of V R College students after their outstanding performance.

“Where is the Hasan Wari committee report?” said BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. “The board cancels some results after an uproar and the result is then restored with court intervention, for the board has no legal powers to cancel a result once announced,”

Education Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary pledged, “We will go all out this time to expose the education mafia. V R College has a dubious past and we will do everything to expose the nexus.”