SHAH KHALID
SRINAGAR, Feb 24: Peerzada Ahnif, a resident of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district felt crazy like other students who dreamt of becoming a doctor, and had applied under South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) quota for MBBS degree due to financial constraints of his family.
But his dream for pursuing MBBS got shattered when he found his name missing in the selection list and was more shell shocked to see the selection of those students who didn’t even fulfill the prescribed eligibility criteria for applying for MBBS programme under the said quota.
The Director General of Health Services of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh had invited the application forms for MBBS programme in Government Medical Colleges of Bangladesh under SAARC Quota with a total intake capacity of 24 seats per country of which twenty 22 seats were for MBBS programme and two seats for BDS programme.
Besides that it was mentioned in the instructions that only those candidates can apply who have secured 95 percent marks in their biology papers, which is treated as a core subject in medical stream. If the two students have got equal marks in biology subject, then their chemistry paper will be examined to determine their merit.
According to sources 74 students in India applied under SAARC quota in September 2018-19 academic session out of which 22 students got admitted for MBBS programme and two students got admitted for BDS programme under Memo No: DGHS/ME/foreign/SAARC/Admission/2018-19/1676 which was notified from office of the Director General of Health Services Dhaka Bangladesh (copy in possession of Kashmir Despatch).
Meanwhile, Peerzada Ahnif who was the student of Histara Public school Anantnag, appeared in the 12th class board examination under the roll number 1159202 annual 2017 under registration number N14401750002 got distinction, as he secured 463 out of 500 marks with 97 marks out of 100 in his Biology subject, reveals his 12th class grade card a copy of which is in possession of Kashmir Despatch.
Sources revealed to Kashmir Despatch that Peerzada who was one among the students who had applied under SAARC quota for MBBS programme through a private consultancy company like other students, was so confident for his admission, as he had got 97% marks in his 12th class biology subject.
But the situation took an ugly turn when he didn’t found his name anywhere in the selection list, which put him in a great dilemma. The question that why some of the students which were known to him and had secured less marks than him, got selected under SAARC quota, depressed Peerzada.
Sources told Kashmir Despatch that he immediately contacted the consultancy services in Srinagar from where he had submitted his application form, to know why his name did not surface in the selection list despite meeting the eligibility criteria. In response to that he was told that the students may have given a bribe to their concerned consultancies for which they get such kind of a favor!
In order to get the matter probed, Peerzada Ahnif filed a complaint before the Crime Branch Kashmir on 29-01-2019 after which an investigation was carried out by concerned department and an inquiry report came into existence in which it was mentioned that eight candidates who got selected under SAARC quota for the academic session 2018-19 have entered by fraud, by tempering their original marks cards which are fake and illegal as well as deceived the High Commission of Bangladesh.
While the communication was made to High Commission of Bangladesh at New-Delhi and the admission of these fake students got cancelled. Later in this connection the crime branch Kashmir on 01-01-2020 lodged an FIR under 01/2020 PS CBK U/S 61 CrPC at Police Station crime branch Kashmir.
When this news desk called Bangladesh High Commission to Delhi an official handout said “I have no information of this issue, the applicant can forward his grievance on email and we will look into the matter accordingly”.
Peerzada told Kashmir Despatch that he is very thankful to Crime Branch Kashmir and their dedicated officers for probing this matter, but now the matter of great concern is that the new selection list has not been notified yet. “I have loss one precious academic year in past. I had written to administration couple of times but still I have not received any positive feedback. Now by the medium of print media I request Hon’ble Lt. Governor to have a word with High Commission of Bangladesh, in order to save my career”.
