After 114 students were found admitted to MBBS courses in Madhya Pradesh’s government medical colleges using fraudulent means, another group of students of the state’s veterinary and dental colleges have come under the scanner. 

   The state government put up a list of 114 students who had hired doctors and bright students from UP and elsewhere to write the pre-medical test (PMT) for them. Authorities are yet to probe if students, who could not score requisite marks for MBBS through such means, sneaked into BDS and veterinary courses. Dr Anand Rai, the whistle-blower of the MBBS admission scam, said this is quite likely. “All those who took this test for admission since 2009 need to be probed,” he said.
   Pankaj Trivedi, chairman of the MP Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) which conducted the PMT, said, “It’s for colleges and the government to find out about fake admissions and take action. We have no role in it.”
   Principal Secretary (medical education) I S Dani avoided a reply. “I am on earned leave. I cannot talk now on official matters,” he said.
   Dr G D Agrawal, a Dental Council of India (DCI) member, said the council has no role in PMT and subsequent admission to colleges. DCI only monitors seats, facilities and infrastructure of dental colleges, he said. However, former MCI member from Chhattisgarh Dr Anil Khakaria said the DCI and the state dental council can find out if candidates were admitted in any of the colleges affiliated to them fraudulently.
   The probe had found 50 of the 114 students who allegedly hired impostors to write the PMT for them were from Gwalior and neighbouring areas, including Morena and Bhind. Some are residents of Datia, Shivpuri and Tikamgarh border UP.
   Reports says about 24% of 600 MBBS seats in 2009 were cornered by candidates who hired ghost writers for the PMT. He had raised the admission scam in the state assembly. More students had done the same in the 2010, he said.
   The MLA slammed the medical education department’s directive to medical colleges asking them to collect PMT answer sheets and other papers for forensic examination. “This is akin to guiding probe agencies on how to go about an investigation,” said Sacklecha. He alleged the medical education department seemed reluctant to conduct a comprehensive probe.