Nagpur assistant registrar commits suicide

Fear of his possible arrest and subsequent humiliation in public eyes might have forced Shende to take the extreme step, police added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Governor and University Chancellor Dr P C Alexander has accepted the resignations of Nagpur University Vice-Chancellor Dr B B Chopne and Pro-Vice Chancellor Yoganand Kale, both of whom were in the eye of a storm following the scandal.

Divisional Commissioner (Nagpur division) J S Sarkaria has been appointed in Chopne’s place, according to a Raj Bhavan communique issued in Mumbai this evening.

The acting registrar and controller of examinations and two assistant registrars had already been arrested earlier in connection with the scam.

The biggest ever scandal in the 75-year-old university led to a public outcry for the resignation of the two top functionaries. As many 14 officials, including official registrar and controller of university examinations Prakash Mistry, dean of the Engineering faculty Hemant Thakre and alleged kingpin of the racket, Assistant Registrar Yadav Kohachade and some college teachers have been arrested by the police for their involvement in the scam.

The scandal surfaced when the Anti-Corruption Bureau trapped Kohachade while trying to bribe the investigation police a month ago. The racket was being perpetuated since 1994 in collaboration with top University officials, management council members and functionaries of the private of medical and engineering colleges. The police have described it as a multi-crore scam.

“I accept moral responsibility for what has happened,” Kale said.

An RSS activist, Kale was appointed Pro-Vice Chancellor for a second term two years ago. He is an economist and former principal of a local college.

Chopane is a former director of technical education.

The demand for the resignations of the duo came from the recently formed University Reforms Committee headed by a former professor of the Government Engineering College R H Tupkari, also an RSS activist.

“Sack Chopane and Kale bring in Arun Bhatia,” the committee demanded after a meeting of academicians, parents and social workers.

Bhatia had served as additional commissioner, Nagpur, a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the police are also investigating a dean of the Government Medical College who reportedly burnt some marksheets and university records in the college premises immediately after the arrest of officiating registrar Prakash Mistry.

According to some academicians, the university has come to this pass because it had ignored earlier various malpractices, including money-raking in the most sought-after degree of Bachelor of Education.