DEHRADUN: Police have registered a case against 19 educational institutions in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district over alleged financial irregularities and fraudulent claims under the Centre's scholarship schemes for minority students. Officials said the suspected misappropriation could run into crores of rupees.
The institutions were flagged during scrutiny of applications submitted on the National Scholarship Portal for the academic years 2021–22 and 2022–23. The FIR was lodged at SIDCUL police station following a complaint by District Minority Welfare Officer Ipsita Rawat.
"The inquiry reports indicate financial irregularities, fraud and suspected embezzlement of government funds by the institutions concerned," Rawat said in her complaint, seeking criminal proceedings against those responsible.
The action followed a letter sent by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs' Scholarship Division to the Uttarakhand government on March 21, 2025. The ministry sought a detailed investigation into institutions identified as suspicious on the scholarship portal.
Subsequently, the state Minority Welfare Department directed all district magistrates on May 19, 2025, to conduct inquiries and initiate legal action wherever wrongdoing was established.
The then Haridwar district magistrate constituted committees headed by sub-divisional magistrates on May 24. The committees conducted field-level inquiries and submitted their reports in June 2025. Reports were received from the sub-divisional magistrates of Bhagwanpur, Laksar, Haridwar and Roorkee.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar, Navneet Singh Bhullar said a Special Investigation Team would be constituted under Circle Officer (Sadar) S.P. Baluni.
"A departmental inquiry had earlier detected financial irregularities. The case may involve scholarships worth crores of rupees," Bhullar said. "Further action will be taken in accordance with the law on the basis of evidence gathered during the investigation."
The institutions named in the case include God Bless Public School, Sahdevpur; M.G. Public School, Ahmedpur Grant; A.S.N. Inter College, Dheerwali, Jwalapur; Saini Private ITI, Bahadrabad; Jai Bharti Private ITI, Dhanpura; SBN Private ITI, Tikkampur; Ayurvedic Medical College and Research Centre, Mustafabad; Vishwa Bharati Public School; Madrasa Noor-e-Hasan, Haridwar; Jai Bharat PS, Bindukharak; Hannu ITI, Bhagwanpur; and Radiance Academy, Nehandpur Suthari, Laksar.
Also named are Ramteerth Higher Secondary School, Rahmatpur; Roorkee Institute of Technology, Puhana; Maharshi Dayanand Private ITI, Dhanori; Sanskriti Public School, Bhauri; Phoenix School of Engineering and Business, Kanjeli Imli Khera; SDPC Girls Inter College, Roorkee; and Om Institute of Education, Badheri Rajputana.
Police said the investigation would examine scholarship applications, student records, bank transactions and the role of institution officials before fixing criminal liability.
