This Article is From Jul 07, 2015

Constable Found Hanging at Home in Madhya Pradesh, Opposition Alleges It's Another Vyapam Death

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A 40-year-old constable was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence in Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh, said the police.

Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh: The Madhya Pradesh police has denied that the death of a police constable in the state yesterday is linked to the Vyapam recruitment scam that has rocked the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in the state after many mysterious deaths.

The constable Ramakant Panda, 40, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence in Orchha. The police said they suspect suicide and alleged that Mr Panda was grappling with alcoholism and was under heavy debt.

But the opposition Congress has alleged that Mr Panda's death is linked to the Vyapam scam, after unconfirmed reports that the constable had been questioned by a Special Task Force in the case. The local police have denied that he was questioned.

"All deaths should not be linked to Vyapam," said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday.

Today Mr Chouhan said he was requesting the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which is monitoring an ongoing investigation in the case, to order a CBI inquiry in the Vyapam scam which is hinged on top politicians and bureaucrats of Madhya Pradesh allegedly accepting kickbacks in exchange for allowing imposters to take recruitment exams for government jobs and admission to colleges. At least 35 people linked to the case have died.

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On Monday morning, a trainee sub-inspector Anamika Kushwaha was found dead in a lake in Sagar. The police said preliminary investigation suggests suicide, but the Congress has linked that case too with the Vyapam scam.

Ms Kushwaha, 25, was recruited in the police through an exam conducted by Vyapam or the Madhya Pradesh board that holds tests for college admissions and for recruitment to government jobs.

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This weekend, a Delhi-based journalist reporting on the scam started frothing at the mouth during an interview and died soon after. Less than a day later, the dean of a medical college in the state, who was helping investigators in the case, was found dead in a hotel room in Delhi.
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