BHOPAL: Twice 'outsourced', the evaluation of answersheets at a govt college in Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district allegedly ended up in the hands of a peon, triggering a scandal that led to the sacking of three staffers and suspension of the principal and a professor.
The peon, who has a master's degree in English, evaluated the Hindi paper.
The multi-stage blunder happened at Shaheed Bhagat Singh PG College in Piparia a few months ago, and would have gone unnoticed but for a video that surfaced recently.
The 20-second clip shows the peon checking answersheets with all seriousness, making tick marks and jotting down marks.
After the video swirled around on social media, local MLA Thakur Das Nagwanshi raised the issue in assembly. The higher education department set up a probe committee, which submitted its report on April 3.
The very next day, principal Rakesh Kumar Verma and the nodal officer for evaluation, professor Ramghulam Patel, were suspended. Verma alleges he is being targeted by local politicians.
The committee found a shocking casualness in the approach to exam evaluation. In its report, the panel says that guest lecturer Khusboo Pagare, who teaches Hindi, has admitted in a written statement that she got the answersheets evaluated by someone else as she was unwell.
According to the committee, she paid Rs 7,000 to 'book-lifter' at the college, Rakesh Kumar Mehar, to evaluate the answersheets. Mehar, in turn, handed it to peon Pannalal Patharia and gave him Rs 5,000, pocketing Rs 2,000, says the suspension order of the principal and nodal officer.
Pagare, Mehar and Patharia were terminated on Wednesday.
Suspended principal Rakesh Kumar Verma alleges that he is being targeted politically. "In the past three months, I have been removed thrice. I was working on the post as per a stay order from the high court. I have again moved high court, and I am hopeful that the hearing will be held next week," Verma told TOI.
"All this action against me is politically motivated by local representatives who wanted to have me removed as principal. The university directly appointed a nodal officer for evaluation of answersheets. Professor Ramghulam Patel was appointed in August last year. I had no role in evaluation, nor did I receive any payment from the university for it. When there was an independently appointed officer and I had no role in evaluation, why should I be suspended? Whatever happened in the evaluation may be wrong; it is a matter of investigation, but I have no role in it," he said.
The peon, who has a master's degree in English, evaluated the Hindi paper.
The multi-stage blunder happened at Shaheed Bhagat Singh PG College in Piparia a few months ago, and would have gone unnoticed but for a video that surfaced recently.
The 20-second clip shows the peon checking answersheets with all seriousness, making tick marks and jotting down marks.
After the video swirled around on social media, local MLA Thakur Das Nagwanshi raised the issue in assembly. The higher education department set up a probe committee, which submitted its report on April 3.
The very next day, principal Rakesh Kumar Verma and the nodal officer for evaluation, professor Ramghulam Patel, were suspended. Verma alleges he is being targeted by local politicians.
The committee found a shocking casualness in the approach to exam evaluation. In its report, the panel says that guest lecturer Khusboo Pagare, who teaches Hindi, has admitted in a written statement that she got the answersheets evaluated by someone else as she was unwell.
According to the committee, she paid Rs 7,000 to 'book-lifter' at the college, Rakesh Kumar Mehar, to evaluate the answersheets. Mehar, in turn, handed it to peon Pannalal Patharia and gave him Rs 5,000, pocketing Rs 2,000, says the suspension order of the principal and nodal officer.
Pagare, Mehar and Patharia were terminated on Wednesday.
Suspended principal Rakesh Kumar Verma alleges that he is being targeted politically. "In the past three months, I have been removed thrice. I was working on the post as per a stay order from the high court. I have again moved high court, and I am hopeful that the hearing will be held next week," Verma told TOI.
"All this action against me is politically motivated by local representatives who wanted to have me removed as principal. The university directly appointed a nodal officer for evaluation of answersheets. Professor Ramghulam Patel was appointed in August last year. I had no role in evaluation, nor did I receive any payment from the university for it. When there was an independently appointed officer and I had no role in evaluation, why should I be suspended? Whatever happened in the evaluation may be wrong; it is a matter of investigation, but I have no role in it," he said.
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