Vyapam scam whistleblower Dr Anand Rai tells court Shivraj Singh Chouhan tried to influence the case

Bhopal: In a major allegation in the high-profile Vyapam scam, whistleblower Dr Anand Rai on Wednesday told the court that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tried to influence the case.

Rai claimed that the Chief Minister asked him to stop the campaign and in return he would be transferred back to Indore.

In an affidavit submitted before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Rai said that Chouhan called him at his residence on August 11 at 9:45 PM and assured if he gives up his campaign to unearth the Vyapam scam, then he can be transferred back to Indore.

The High Court has asked the state government to reply on the affidavit within seven days.

Dr Anand Rai and his wife work are employed with the state government . His wife, also a doctor, was transferred twice in one month and is now posted in Dhar district.

On July 13, the CBI took over the probe in the Vyapam scam, the massive admission and recruitment scandal, which has rocked Madhya Pradesh and dented the credibility of the state's BJP government.

The probe into the Vyapam scam began in 2013 based on a report lodged by Anand Rai. He had come to know about the fraud when he himself took an exam conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board in 2005.

Nearly 50 people have died in the case so far. At least 10 of those deaths were under mysterious circumstances.