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The Bihar Merit scam claims 2 more victims: Bihar Education Board chief and wife in Jail
After CM Nitish Kumar dissolved the education board committee probing the merit scam and demanding direct action, the police lodged a complaint against Bacha Rai, Edu Board Chief, Lalkeshwar Rai and his wife. The police has arrested all 3 and kept them in judicial custody till July 4.
It seems that the Bihar Merit scam may be heading to a closure as Bihar School Examination Board chairman Lalkeswar Prasad and his wife, former Janata Dal (United) legislator Usha Sinha, have been remanded in judicial custody.
The husband wife duo are said to be the alleged masterminds along with Bacha Rai of the scam, under which a group of toppers in the Class XII Board exams have been charged. Bacha Rai has is already in jail. Mr Prasad and his wife have been remanded in judicial custody till July 4.
The fiasco started when the toppers of the Bihar XII exam couldn’t answer some basic questions put up by the media. This led to some serious doubts being cast over the knowledge of the curriculum and re-test was scheduled for all the toppers. On June 4, the state education board formed a committee, cancelling the results of 2 toppers after they were failed to perform well during the re-test conducted by a team of experts. Altogether 13 toppers were re-tested after arts topper Ruby Rai, who practically aced political Science, told the media that the subject involved cooking.
With Bihar being notorious for cheating during exams, the media reports had raised a hue and cry, pushing the authorities to take action.
The crackdown started in the right earnest earlier this month after CM Nitish Kumar dissolved an education board committee formed to probe the scam and ordered direct action against the "education mafia".
Following this, a case of cheating and forgery was lodged by the police against 3 of the toppers along with Bacha Rai, director of the VR College in Vaishali district – the institution to which all 3 students belonged.