Demanding that Governor Ram Naresh Yadav be arrested in the Vyapam scam, an RTI activist set himself on fire in front of Raj Bhawan in Bhopal on Wednesday.
After Yadav demitted office on Wednesday evening, activist Manoj Tripathi poured kerosene and set himself on fire. As the police rushed and doused the flames in a few seconds, Tripathi ended up sustaining only minor burns.
The activist was demanding the arrest of Yadav in the Vyapam scam and will be booked for his act, reported Bhopal Inspector General of Police Yogesh Choudhary. The IG however denied reports that Manoj set himself ablaze in front of the convoy of Yadav (89) when he was leaving the Raj Bhawan for airport to catch a flight to Lucknow.
Yadav, an UPA-appointee, managed to complete his full term but faced a tough time when he was accused of rigging a forest guard recruitment test conducted by Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal or MP Professional Examination Board, popularly called Vyapam, in 2015.
Madhya Pradesh Police’s Special Task Force, which earlier probed the recruitment and admission scandal, had booked Yadav for alleged fraud and other criminal offences. Thereafter, Yadav moved the MP High Court for quashing the FIR against him.
In May 2015, the HC quashed the FIR against him, saying he enjoyed immunity against prosecution while in office. It remains to be seen if the CBI, now handling the high-profile scandal, will proceed against Yadav, a former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
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