Kanpur varsity VC graft case: Some insiders at Agra univ tried to tamper with evidence - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Kanpur varsity VC graft case: Some insiders at Agra univ tried to tamper with evidence

By, Lucknow
Nov 19, 2022 10:53 PM IST

As per a senior STF official, the STF unit of Agra visited the university campus to cross-check the information and found out that some employees did try to tamper with the documents

While Vinay Kumar Pathak, the vice chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (CSMU) in Kanpur, did not appear before UP Special Task Force on Friday for questioning in connection with a graft case lodged against him, some of his close aides allegedly searched and tried to tamper with documents and bills cleared during his tenure as the VC of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University of Agra.

The graft case against Vinay Kumar Pathak was registered at Lucknow’s Indira Nagar police station on October 28. (For Representation)
The graft case against Vinay Kumar Pathak was registered at Lucknow’s Indira Nagar police station on October 28. (For Representation)

As per a senior STF official, some staff of the Agra’s Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University informed them that some close aides of Pathak were searching for files and documents related to bills and payments cleared during his tenure and made a bid to tamper with them on Thursday.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

He said the STF unit of Agra visited the university campus again to cross-check the information and found out that some employees did try to tamper with the documents. He said the STF unit questioned some employees in this regard and a letter to the present VC of Agra university was sent to identify employees involved in the incident.

He said the university authorities had also been asked to safely keep documents related to Pathak’s tenure as it may be required as evidence in building a strong case against him.

Earlier, the STF had served a notice at the official residence of Pathak in Kanpur and asked him to appear before the investigation officer at the STF headquarters in Lucknow on Friday (November 18). In an e-mail sent to the STF, Pathak, however, expressed his inability to appear before the STF on the mentioned date saying he was seriously ill.

He sought time after November 25 in the same mail but did not respond when the STF asked him in reply to the e-mail asking him he was suffering from which illness and which doctor was treating him.

A senior STF official said the investigation agency will take further steps as per the law and the evidence collected against Pathak. The graft case against Pathak was registered at Lucknow’s Indira Nagar police station on October 28. Since then, he has remained elusive.

He was not found at his official residence when STF reached there while one of Pathak’s employees claimed he did not know his whereabouts. An STF official, privy to the case, said Pathak seemed to be buying time to prepare the ground to evade arrest.

An electronic surveillance team had been asked to trace Pathak’s location, the official said. He said Pathak has been accused of demanding a hefty commission from an agency to clear its bills worth 1.4 crore when he was the officiating V-C of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra.

The bills were for services obtained by the Agra University from the complainant’s firm in conducting examinations. The STF official said several other anomalies have also surfaced related to the recruitment of outsourcing staff during Pathak’s tenure as the VC of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University in Lucknow between August 2015 and August 2021. Police have already arrested Ajay Mishra and Ajay Jain, the co-accused in the case.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On