Facing 'threats', Vyapam whistleblower seeks adequate security

A whistleblower of the Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh, Ashish Chaturvedi, today said he has received threats to life from those allegedly involved in the scandal and demanded adequate state or central security.
"I have been receiving threats after I exposed the scam some years ago. I have filed a petition in the Supreme Court in the Dental and Medical Admission Test scam (related to admission in private medical and dental colleges). I have also demanded security as I am receiving threats from those involved in the scam," Chaturvedi told PTI from Gwalior where he is studying.
The 26-year-old said he moves around on a cycle and the Personal Security Officer (PSO) provided to him follows him on another cycle. Most of the time, he gets held up in road traffic or is way behind him, exposing him to possibility of attack.

The whistle-blower said his PSO had recently overheard a conversation at a food joint where someone said if he (Chaturvedi) appears in the court as a witness against the accused, they will "cut him to pieces".
A complaint was filed by the PSO in Jhansi Road Police Station in this regard but so far no action has been taken by the police, he said.
Despite raising the issue of security with the officials concerned, no step has been taken to address the matter, said Chaturvedi who is pursuing Master of Social Work from Jiwaji University, Gwalior.
Chaturvedi claimed he had used the RTI route to expose the scandal involving Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam), a government body that conducts entrance tests for admission to various colleges in the state.

A large number of accused and witnesses linked to the scam - a massive admission and recruitment racket involving several middlemen, medical college owners, bureaucrats and politicians - have died so far.