The Maharashtra government has taken a serious stance on the issue of fake degrees submitted by 27 youths from Nagpur University (NU) to their employers in Iraq while seeking jobs. The case came to light when officials from the Iraqi embassy visited the university to verify the degree certificates of these individuals. However, NU informed the Iraqi officials that it did not have any records of their names or documents.

Details of the Case:

• The Iraq embassy sought details from NU to verify the degrees of the 27 youths.
• Out of these, 22 claimed to have studied at Bajiraoji Karanjekar College of Pharmacy in Sakoli, Bhandara, three at Bapurao Deshmukh College of Engineering in Sewagram, Wardha, and two at Dr. Ambedkar College in Deekshabhoomi.
• The NU administration, including the Vice-Chancellor, Pro-VC, and Registrar, refused to lodge an FIR as they asserted that none of the accused had ever studied in any of its affiliated colleges.
• NU stated that they had already received a query from the Iraq embassy and were investigating the matter.
• The NU officials informed the Ambazari police that the Iraqi embassy had already lodged offenses against these youths in Iraq.

Government's Response:

• The issue was raised in the assembly by South Nagpur MLA Mohan Mate, demanding a thorough investigation into the matter.
• Legislators, including Anil Deshmukh, Nitin Raut, Vikas Thakre, Prithviraj Chavan, Ravindra Waikar, and Ashish Shelar, participated in the discussion, expressing concern and urging strict action against such cases.
• Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Chandrakant Patil, assured the members that the government would investigate the matter thoroughly.
• Patil stated that the Iraqi embassy officials would interrogate the 27 youths since they had submitted fake documents in Iraq. NU had also informed the developments to Ambazari police station, the Union Ministry of Education in Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) chairman.

As the case unfolds, the government is determined to address the issue of fake degrees and ensure strict action against those involved. The investigation aims to hold those responsible accountable for their actions and prevent such fraudulent activities in the future.