Opinion The Vyapam test

MP government must facilitate a free and fair probe in the scam. Much depends on it.

The many layers of obfuscation and denial continue to thicken around the Vyapam scam. On Wednesday, the Madhya Pradesh government approached the Delhi High Court, urging that the whistleblower in the case share information only with the special task force (STF) and the special investigation team (SIT) appointed to oversee the probe. On Thursday, the high court dismissed the plea, though it granted the STF access to sensitive documents in the case. The multi-crore Vyapam scam involves allegations of widespread corruption in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, responsible for conducting admissions to various professional courses and recruitment tests for state government jobs. Charges include bribery, forgery and impersonation, aimed at pushing through candidates willing to pay. The scam has singed not only officials of the board but also the highest levels of government in the state, and cast a shadow on thousands of recruitments made since 2007. The three-term BJP state government’s credibility now depends on whether it can facilitate a free and fair probe, and restore faith in the recruitment process.

So far, its conduct in the matter has not evoked confidence. Every stage of the investigation has been marred by allegations of evidence-tampering and intimidation by the state machinery. First, the STF was charged with shielding the chief minister by excising his name from excel sheets that listed persons believed to be linked to the scam. Then, the whistleblower claimed to have been forced out of Bhopal by “false” cases and “illegal detention” by the MP police as well as threats to his life, and appealed to the Delhi High Court for police protection. In response, the MP government, instead of assuring the whistleblower of safety and security within the state, denied the threat and accused him of bearing “political affiliations”. Finally, it sought to limit the whistleblower’s ability to share information with agencies outside the state.

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The stakes to reclaim its credibility should be doubly high for this state government. Along with Narendra Modi, who built his reputation in Gujarat before becoming PM, and Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan formed the trio of BJP CMs seen to showcase the party’s governance record in the run-up to last year’s Lok Sabha elections. MP, under Chouhan, is projected to have defied its “Bimaru” tag, registering high per capita income growth and increases in agricultural productivity. Yet the government appears to have failed in a primary duty — providing a level playing field for young people seeking higher qualifications, secure jobs and a better life. The government must set to rights this betrayal of trust if it doesn’t want it to tarnish the MP story.