After multiple FIITJEE centres across Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh were recently shut down unexpectedly, the coaching institute chain on Saturday clarified that it has “not closed any centre as part of its own decision”. The sudden closure of the centres of the coaching institute chain, that prepares students for competitive exams such as Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), amid a prevailing financial crisis has triggered panic among parents and students. In an official statement, FIITJEE said the “present turmoil is temporary”. "Company officials are working to resume operations at all places within a reasonable time," it added and blamed managing partners for the financial crisis that led to the closure of several centres, saying that the managing partner is responsible for the profit and loss. “Overnight desertion of the centre by the Centre Managing Partner, along with the entire team, suddenly is the only reason for this type of condition,” the statement read. FIITJEE, which has 73 study centres across the country, has alleged a conspiracy, saying, “This entire story is part of a criminal conspiracy which has been hatched by people with vested interests and very soon through a detailed investigation, the truth will emerge. Truth cannot be concealed forever.” At many of its branches, the faculty has resigned en masse due to alleged non-payment of salaries. The centres closed include those situated in Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar and Noida Sector 62, as well as several branches in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. With parents and children left in limbo, at least two FIRs have been filed against the coaching institute chain in Noida and Ghaziabad. FIITJEE, however, said, “So far as criminal cases lodged against us are concerned, our legal team is taking appropriate action against the malicious prosecutions lodged against us.” In Noida, FIITJEE founder DK Goel, Sector 62 branch head Ramesh Batlesh and seven others have been booked in a cheating case after the city’s lone centre in the city closed down. The FIR was registered with the Noida Police following a complaint by one Satsang Kumar on behalf of the parents' association under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and relevant sections of the IT Act against FIITJee founder DK Goel, Monila Goel(shareholder), and seven others: Partha Halder, Sadhu Ram Bansal, Rustam Dinshaw Batliwala, Shahsikan T Dubey, Mohit Sardana, Aanad Raman P and Ramesh Baltish. “After taking all the money of parents and promising a good future for the children, all the accused have manipulated the whole amount of parents and without informing any of the parents the accused person closed the institute,” read the FIR. In his complaint, Kumar also alleged that there was no notice issued to the parents before the shutdown of the centre. “To the utter shock and surprise of the parents, they have not even issued any notice or communication that under what circumstances, they have closed the FIIT-JEE institute located in Noida’s Sector- 62,” he said. Another FIR was filed in Ghaziabad following a complaint from parents as the Raj Nagar branch was closed down around 10 days ago. In their complaint, parents accused the institute of abruptly halting operations and jeopardising their children’s academic preparations. A police complaint was also filed at Preet Vihar police station in Delhi. A Delhi Police officer said, “We have received a complaint from a few parents. We are looking into it.” Another police complaint was filed against the institute’s Kalu Sarai branch in South Delhi.
