Crucial records vanish, courtesy DEO-cum-PO

​Hyderabad: Crucial records pertaining to over Rs 35 crore ‘Madarsa scandal’ have reportedly disappeared from the office of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), Hyderabad district, allegedly with the knowledge of the present District Educational Officer (DEO) G Ramesh, who is the Project Officer of SSA.

It may be recalled that a series of reports published in these columns had detailed how the previous DEO, M Somi Reddy, and his coterie of officials, along with some others, had siphoned off the public money meant for modern education of poor Muslim children.

After the lid came off the scandal, an internal enquiry conducted a couple of months ago by the SSA officials found that some private parties, in collusion with certain officials of the district education department and SSA officials, had swallowed funds in the name of non-existent madarsas and also by inflating figures relating to the number of students in some functional madarsas.

Subsequently, the Special Chief Secretary to Government, Education Department, Ranjeev R Acharya, asked the Directorate of School Education to file a criminal case and initiate action against the DEO and other officials.

However, the Director of School Education, G Kishan, who is also the State Project Director of SSA, and a host of other officials have been busy building up the file not only to delay action, but also to keep the murky goings-on under wraps.

After some RTI activists stepped in, the administration moved a little faster, following which the present DEO-cum-PO Ramesh told reporters on January 6 that a criminal case would be filed with the Central Crime Station by January 9.

However, sources told The Hans India that the DEO was not ready to put his signature on the complaint copy and send it to the police. It is learnt that he not only delayed it, but also allowed Somi Reddy’s trusted men in wiping out the evidence by making the records relating to madarsas for the years 2013-16 disappear.

The records include base files containing the attendance of Vidya Volunteers working in Madarsas, certification and recommendations of the sectoral officers. Based on these base files, orders were issued by Somi Reddy releasing funds for madarsas, sources said.

Since the base files were prepared on the instructions of Somi Reddy for the fictitious madarsas and for showing inflated figures of students in existing madarsas, they hold key to investigations.

Without the base files, even the police would not be able to come to a conclusion and the investigations would end in a futile exercise, sources said. The present DEO had been successful in protecting his friend Somi Reddy till date, sources added.

Meanwhile, for the sake of record, the DEO suspended one senior assistant Sridhar and also sent a letter to the joint director of school education recommending action against a superintendent of the SSA.