Assam's Bodo students body urges CM Himanta's intervention in alleged BTC education scam

Assam's Bodo National Students Union submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma through the Kokrajhar District Commissioner, raising serious concerns over alleged corruption and scams within the Education Department of the Bodoland Territorial Council.
 

In the memorandum, BoNSU demanded greater transparency, accountability, and swift justice in addressing the irregularities. The student body emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to ensure fair governance and restore public trust in the education system within the BTC region.
 

The controversy centers around massive irregularities in the procurement and supply of books to 33 colleges under Bodoland University. Delhi-based legal firm "Lal & Associates," headed by Vijay Kumar Gaur, has served legal notices to several high-ranking BTC officials, alleging misuse of government funds, fraud, and criminal conspiracy.
 

The officials named in the notice include:
 

• B.L. Ahuja, Vice-Chancellor, Bodoland University
   
• Jagdish Prasad Brahma, Director of Education, BTC
   
• Amarjyoti Barman, Secretary of Education, BTC
   
• Akashdeep, Principal Secretary of BTC
   
• Principals of 33 affiliated colleges

The notices allege that under official directive BTC/EDM-247/2024/2025/P1-1/30, illegal authorization was granted to individuals including Prashant Jain (alleged mastermind), his brother Rahul Jain, Mohit Kumar Jain, and Gaurav Jain.

These individuals allegedly facilitated the supply of books through blacklisted publishers such as:
 

• Indica Publishers & Distributors Pvt. Ltd.
   
• Rehab Books
   
• Adi Books
   
• Metro Books Pvt. Ltd.
   
• Shri Publishers
   

According to the legal notice, this network of blacklisted publishers ran a large-scale piracy operation, funneling counterfeit or substandard books into the education system at highly inflated prices. For instance, a book worth Rs. 500 was allegedly billed at Rs. 15,000 and supplied to colleges.
 

Further accusations include:
 

• Jagdish Prasad Brahma allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs. 6 lakh
   
• Amarjyoti Barman allegedly received Rs. 5 lakh
   
• Khagen Kalita, Librarian of Bodoland University, allegedly accepted Rs. 50,000
   
• An individual named Sunil allegedly collected Rs. 1.5 lakh

These revelations have shaken the administration and prompted immediate response from BTC leadership.