So, Bitti Mohanty has finally been arrested and the police have been able to confirm his identity. Yet we sit and wonder that how on earth could he go on fooling the public and the authorities in such a blatant manner. Not only did he get an MBA degree, he was also enrolled as a probationary officer in a state run bank.
Bitti Mohanty was an absconding fugitive, a rape accused. He was sentenced to prison for raping a German national 6 years ago. While he was granted a special leave to visit his ailing mother, he was reported missing. Bitti’s police officer father was also accused of helping him. Strangely, he was reinstated after preliminary dismissal. This shows the apathy of the administration and the serious lapse on the part of the national bank on hiring an absconder.
What appalls me most, as a student, is that how brazenly he went on to enroll for admission to an MBA course, even teaching at a college. Bitti Mohanty forged his certificates, superimposing his name with a new alias Raghav Rajan and submitted false documents regarding his schools along with various addresses. Is this how education is conducted in India? Even Bitti Mohanty, a man wanted by the police, can enroll in college on fake documents. I shudder on thinking about the numerous criminals who might have secured admission in such manner. These so called ‘educational institutions‘ fail to even verify documents, and are happy to enroll students for a hefty fee. How on earth was he even allowed to teach? Don’t they have some kind of verification for teachers recruitment in colleges and universities?
Recently, some frauds posing as students were caught taking CBSE exams in Bihar and one has always been hearing reports on how question papers are being sold in the tune of lakhs and crores. The Bitti Mohanty case has been an eye opener. It has shown how much the education system in India can be manipulated and brazenly abused. Yes, Bitti could have hidden somewhere, gone abroad anyhow where administrative authorities couldn’t trace him. Yet, he brazenly got himself admitted to some MBA school with fake mark-sheets, became a teacher and even got a government job. Education in India is one of the booming industries. Its not just about knowledge, it’s now more about getting a degree that pays you well.
Its high time the government and civil society realizes that this degree be given to someone who deserves it. The UGC and other educational regulatory bodies should make it mandatory for educational institutions to verify all credentials of students enrolling in their respective institutions. Strict measures should be taken and frauds should be severely dealt with. At all levels, verification should be done by the college authorities. Even for recruitment of teachers and professors, colleges and universities should be even more vigilant.
Now coming to the case of forged mark-sheets, I feel every student should have access to high quality education. More colleges and schools should be opened so that every single student who wants to get an education or a degree of their choice is able to pursue it. Moreover, career counseling should be mandatory in all institutons so that students don’t follow a herd mentality in education, which can be attributed to mad rush in some select courses. All colleges should be improved in terms of education and infrastructure. Students should be told studying in a lesser known college in no way means that he or she is a loser.
Everyone deserves a good life. Unfortunately, Bitti Mohanty realized too late , that though he could cheat the college authorities but he could not cheat his past .