Haridwar (News Trust of India) : In a key action within Roorkee, Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has temporarily confiscated properties, including land and buildings, totaling to nearly Rs 1 crore from an educational organization. This society administers two institutes within Roorkee.
The claim is upon illegal enrollment of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students into various colleges, followed by the embezzlement of scholarships worth millions in the students’ names. Through such initiatives, the institutions have collected large mobile and immovable properties in Roorkee and its neighboring areas.
The famed scholarship scandal in Uttarakhand initially arose through a state police probe, finding a multi-crore rupee swindle. Subsequently, the ED interfered under the Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The tendrils of this scandal stretched beyond Uttarakhand, reaching areas like Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Reports indicate that the ED has issued notices to various colleges throughout these regions. Presently, the ED has confiscated the immovable assets of an educational society situated in Roorkee.
Understanding the Scholarship Scam: In 2017, the Scholarship Scam involving the Social Welfare Department of Uttarakhand came to light. Prompted by this disclosure, the Uttarakhand government began a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe in 2019. Initially believed modest, the investigation soon uncovered the enormity of the scandal, amounting to around Rs 500 crore. Numerous officials and personnel from the Social Welfare Department remain detained in connection to this case.
