India

Multiple Falsified Freedom‑Fighter Certificates Lead to 5 Arrests in Uttarakhand MBBS Admissions

By Amit Bathla, Ajay Ramola

In September, six people claimed to be descendants of Dharamveer Verma, a 1942 freedom fighter who spent a month in Dehradun jail for participating in Gandhi’s Quit India Movement, to secure seats in Uttarakhand medical colleges under the “Freedom Fighter Dependent” quota. Verma, who died in 2014 at age 84, had no family members who ever used the quota. His son, Manoj Kumar Verma, 58, told officials that the certificates were forged because they listed Verma’s father as Khajan Das instead of Manohar Lal. The complaint prompted an investigation that uncovered nine fake certificates in Dehradun and led to the arrest of five people.

Activist Pradeep Bahuguna, son of environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, said the racket is larger, estimating that 370 admissions were obtained with forged documents. Uttarakhand reserves 85 % of 1,525 MBBS and BDS seats in government medical colleges and 50 % of seats in private institutions for state residents. He examined the first round of counselling and found 24 candidates had claimed the freedom‑fighter quota. He noted that in several cases the freedom‑fighter and domicile certificates were issued a few days before counselling (August 13–19). Five female candidates and one male claimed to be descendants of one freedom fighter, and three applicants shared a non‑existent residential address in Dehradun’s Rajiv Nagar.

Bahuguna lodged a complaint with the state’s medical education minister and the District Magistrate, suspecting that at least 370 admissions were based on forged documents. On September 18, the Uttarakhand government formed a seven‑member Special Investigation Team led by Superintendent of Police (Dehradun Rural) Jaya Baloni. The SIT has filed three FIRs and arrested five persons from three states, including Rupesh Pandit of Purnia, Bihar, who runs an education consultancy in Meerut, and Dheeraj Kumar Srivastava of Bhopal, who runs a medical admission consultancy. The two are suspected of orchestrating the operation. Other arrests include Sanjay Kumar of Varanasi, Girish Singh of Pithoragarh, and Arvind Kumar of Haridwar, whose daughter was among the beneficiaries.

A senior police officer said Pandit allegedly guaranteed MBBS admissions under the freedom‑fighter quota for a fee of 45 lakh rupees per candidate, with 20 lakh taken as advance payment. Pandit had worked with Srivastava for over two years to forge high‑quality documents, including fabricated state domiciles, government dependency certificates, and fraudulent identity documents. Sanjay Kumar and Girish Singh provided logistical support. Arvind Kumar had sealed deals with two acquaintances for MBBS admission using forged documents.

Baloni said almost every seized phone had been formatted and most financial transactions were conducted in cash, leaving a minimal digital trail. She said the investigation is focusing on locating key intermediaries who were in direct contact with local revenue officials to facilitate the forged certificates.

A Dehradun revenue official (Patwari) admitted that documents were processed without rigorous physical verification because of excessive workload. Sub‑Divisional Magistrate Apurva Singh said two revenue sub‑inspectors have been suspended for negligence. A similar racket was busted in Udham Singh Nagar district, leading to at least six FIRs, booking over 20 individuals and arresting five suspects. Two local revenue officials there were also suspended for negligence during certificate verification.

The Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University has cancelled at least 20 provisional seat allotments following document discrepancies. Director of Medical Education Dr Ashutosh Sayana explained that state counselling is conducted via an automated online portal where candidates upload self‑attested documents, which are verified against state databases. The original paperwork is reviewed when the student joins the college. If doubts arise during physical reporting, documents are sent for verification to the issuing authority.

Medical education minister Subodh Uniyal was not available for comment. RTI activist and advocate Vikesh Singh Negi alleged that an unchecked network of touts, fraudulent applicants, and compliant revenue officials has operated across the state for over two decades. A PIL seeking a CBI investigation is listed for hearing on Wednesday.