Cash for Admission; After audio clip goes viral, Assam University Students' Union demands transparency

An audio clip has gone viral in Silchar and that has shocked many. The clip is an alleged conversation between a student and someone from the admission block of Assam University Silchar.

In the audio, it is heard that the caller calls a student and asks if he has applied for admission to the Law department of Assam University Silchar. The caller knew the applicant’s name and percentile in the qualifying examination. He is heard saying, “Your percentage is too low for admission to the Law department. You will have to make a payment of Rs 30,000 if you want a sure shot seat. You can pay online or offline, get in touch with me by 10:00 am tomorrow.” The caller who has identified himself as someone from the ad-block.

Now, this audio clip has not undergone any forensic examination. It is yet to stand the scrutiny of expert studies and therefore, it is too early to take it as an audio clip of a conversation between the student and someone from the admission block. However, it is clear that the caller knew the private details of the student and that is why the union has urged the University authority to set up an inquiry committee and probe the matter.

The members of the Assam University Student Union (AUSU) have written a letter to the vice-chancellor of the varsity. “We write with a great sense of anguish and concern regarding unscrupulous audio may be of a person closely related to our University fraternity, which may demolish the discipline and dignity of the campus. Respected Sir, the audio clearly portraying about the admission of a student in a department of our University with hush money which is very shameful and mournful,” states the letter.

“Therefore, request you to form a committee and take proper investigation immediately and take strict action against the wrongdoer in order to maintain the smooth functioning of our University. We also demand a fresh admission procedure in the Dept of Law so as to maintain transparency and honesty. We have already forwarded the audio clip to Registrar sir via WhatsApp and also will send a copy to your email id. Thanking you with kind regards AUSU, Assam University, Silchar,” it concludes.

“Percentage of a student is a piece of confidential information that rests securely in the custody of the concerned department. How did it get leaked to the caller? It is a clear case of breach of privacy. Without the help of an insider, it is just impossible for an outsider to get these details,” asserted Aritra Dhar, general secretary of the Students’ Union.

President of the Union Biswarup Bhattacharjee said that they have been hearing about middlemen meddling with the admission procedure for quite some time. They work in a nexus and get seats for students who aren’t eligible while the ones with a good percentage remain deprived. “Now that we have got this audio clip as a piece of evidence, we want the college authority to set an example by taking action against the middleman. The action should be such that no one else dares to do so again,” said Bhattacharjee.

He has also demanded the admission department to make the list of students who got a seat in the law department public explaining the process of selection. “Now that the issue got flagged, it is important to ensure transparency,” he added.

Here is the audio clip