Role Of UGC Functionaries Under Scanner In Patiala

The Patiala Police is investigating the role of various officials in the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, after the grants were released to some of the colleges which did not meet the eligibility criteria for applying for these.

The police are probing a larger nexus where in the aided colleges; the authorities have connived with the UGC officials to usurp certain grants.

Five months ago, the Rajpura city police officials had registered a case against Sanjeev Kalia, the former Principal of Patel Memorial National College, Rajpura, and his associate, Gaurav Trivedi, son of a former IPS officer, for misusing grants released by UGC.

Last week, the police also arrested one of the accused, Gaurav, who is now in police remand.  The police said that his arrest is crucial as he knows how the UGC funds were funneled into a private account which was opened by Sanjeev.

Gaurav has admitted that he took around Rs 54 lakh from Sanjay for his personal use and later returned the same. The key accused Sanjeev is still absconding.

As per the preliminary police investigations (a copy of which is available with The Tribune), Santee had sought two grants of Rs 45 lakh in November 2010 and of Rs 54 lakh in January 2012 even though the college could not have applied for both the grants as it does not have a College with Potential for Excellence (CPE) status, which is a must for such UGC grants.

Bhupinder Khatra, the Rajpura Superintendent of Police (SP), said that UGC could not have released the funds to this college as it did not meet the eligibility criteria. He also said that now they are probing the role of those UGC officials who were involved in the fraud.

Earlier in a separate letter written to the college in November, Charan Dass, Under Secretary (Vigilance), UGC, had said that the college had acted in connivance with certain UGC officials to siphon off funds. Meanwhile, all efforts to contact UGC officials were futile.

The UGC, however, has initiated a probe into the matter after the Patiala police approached the former for assistance in the case.

Hardyal Singh Mann, Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) said that UGC has assured them of carrying out a probe into the case.