Bhubaneswar: Assam Police has initiated a probe against a non-government organisation from Odisha which reportedly duped several people on the pretext of providing Honorary Doctorate Degrees. The NGO was allegedly selling the fake doctorate degree certificates in lieu of payment of a certain amount of money.
Only the legal statutory bodies like universities and other institutions are allowed to award the ‘Honoris Causa’ doctorate to any person.
Assam police have registered a case against the NGO, Mahatma Gandhi Global Peace Foundation, located in Bhubaneswar based on a complaint lodged by one Saidur Rahman of Bharalumukh in Guwahati June 15.
Meanwhile, a local journalist Monojit Singha has also written letters to Prime Minister’s Grievance cell, Union Ministry of HRD and UGC seeking action against the director of the NGO, Hrushikesh Acharya.
Singha claimed that the director of the NGO, who earlier had a placement agency in Bhubaneswar, later started the NGO to allegedly dupe gullible aspirants by supplying fake doctorate certificates. He also wrote letter to the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, seeking stringent action against the NGO. He had reportedly registered a complaint with the Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, but to no avail. Meanwhile, the registered address of the NGO at LIG 37/ K4 at Kalinga Vihar under Tomando Police limits was found a fake one. The owner of the house told Orissa POST that he has not lent out the house on rent to anyone since the construction of the building. Sources claimed that a team of Assam Crime Branch will visit Odisha next week to probe into the case.