Is Aligarh Muslim University headed for Vyapam 2.0?

Despite reports of irregularities, Aligarh Muslim University's decision to go ahead with admission for its prestigious MBBS/BDS courses, based on the entrance tests conducted earlier, smacks of conspiracy and foul play. It could be another Vyapam scam in the making that needs urgent attention.

On July 6, the executive council of the varsity unanimously accepted a report submitted by the enquiry committee that gave a clean chit to the entrance test that was cancelled by AMU administration after reports of irregularities at Farook College Centre in Kerala's Kozhikode district from where 30 students had qualified for admission and several others figured on the waiting list.

The law of the average defying selection ratio from an outside centre came under the scanner after several of its faculty members raised doubts about possible foul play involving some AMU employees. The varsity's authorities responded quickly and cancelled the entrance test and then constituted an enquiry committee to probe the allegations. Later on July 6, it retracted its earlier order of cancellation of the test as it accepted the committee's report that found that the allegations made by some teachers of the university against the controller of examinations were "infirm and unfounded" and that there was no foul play in the conduct of the entrance test.

However, the panel's report itself seems to be an eyewash, full of loopholes. The writer has a copy of the report that runs into 82 pages.

In the report, the committee said that that there was no foul play in the conduct of the exam and that the bulk of successful candidates had secured exceedingly high percentages in the Senior Secondary Examination and most of them had also qualified for the KEAM (Kerala Engineering and Medical examination).

My question is, how does securing a high percentage in the higher secondary exam qualify them for a highly competitive medical entrance test? This observation of the committee is unscientific.

The panel also highlighted that the university doesn't have the necessary rules to govern the conduct of exams and should formulate proper guidelines to ensure that no one is permitted to use their discretion unless authorised by the executive council.

This observation speaks about how the entrance tests are being conducted at AMU in the absence of guidelines.

Why has the varsity recalled the cancelled test? Once it was declared cancelled, AMU should have conducted it afresh, like the second round of the All India Pre Medical test (AIPMT). What was the need to constitute a panel only to get clean chit? Nowadays, it's quite normal to re-conduct entrance tests after reports of irregularities.

The twists and turns in the whole saga reek of foul play. AMU vice-chancellor Zameeruddin Shah needs to answer some tough questions to prevent another Vyapam. If it is so, it needs to be thoroughly probed by an independent authority and not someone from the varsity.