July 18: A senior clerk-cum-typist from the Kalina campus of Mumbai University has been suspended for offering to forge signatures of university officials on official letterheads. Suchita Girkar had collected over Rs 5 lakh from gullible students promising that she could increase their marks and even get them jobs in the university.A police complaint was lodged against Girkar last month by the university registrar, Dr Jairam Chavan.Vice-Chancellor Dr Snehalata Deshmukh told Express Newsline on Friday that a departmental enquiry has also been instituted into the matter. ``We have already suspended Girkar and also carried out a panchanama of her locker.the report was given to me on Thursday,'' she added.Dr Deshmukh, however, said it is till not clear if the accused had increased any student's marks. She said the authorities have recovered admission forms and written statements of services being provided to her `clients' from Girkar's locker.Sources in the varsity said Girkar has enough clout to pressurise the officials conducting the departmental enquiry. The vice-chancellor, however denied this.When briefed about the matter, University Senator Amarjit Singh Manhas commented: ``It is indeed very shocking.I shall certainly raise this issue on the floor of the senate later this year and urge the university to form a cell to monitor such cases that are forwarded to the police.''Surprisingly, though the Vakola police were told about the racket about a month back, a case has still not been registered. The concerned deputy commissioner of police (zone 8), Dattatray Kurne reasoned: ``Vakola police are still investigating the matter and once we collect necessary details the case will be registered. In the last few days, though, all my men were busy in the riot bandobast.'' Kurne also brushed aside allegations that police were going slow due to political interference.
