By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 20, 2015 : There is a twist and turn in the mega Vyapam scam with the premier investigation agency, Central Bureau of Investigation [CBI] probing into the mysterious death of retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Vijay Bahadur at Belpahar railway station in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Thursday.

The scam involves massive irregularities and corruption in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) or MP Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal, abbreviated in Hindi as Vyapam.

Bahadur had acted as an observer in two Vyapam recruitment tests in Madhya Pradesh. The CBI team is probing if his accidental death had any links with the Vyapam scam.

Bahadur’s body was found on a railway track near Belpahar station on Thursday. He was travelling by Puri-Jodhpur Express train.

A CBI official had visited Belpahar railway station yesterday and had extensively interrogated station master N Pradhan.

Bahadur’s wife Nita Singh sounded out the authorities of her husband’s disappearance to the notice of ticket inspector of the train after reaching Raigarh station. Singh was on the way to Bhopal from Puri with his wife Nita Singh by the Puri-Jodhpur Express.

Bahadur’s death is the first incident after the Supreme Court on July 9 this year had handed over the probe to the CBI not only to inquire into the Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam), or the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam but also the deaths related to it.

The CBI is probing into the multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board that has resulted in unexplained deaths of key accused and witnesses.
Some 48 people linked to Vyapam have died, some mysteriously.