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Vyapam Scam: 70 Accused Write To President, Seek Permission To Kill Themselves

70 People Accused In Vyapam Scam Have Sought Permission To Kill Themselves
BHOPAL,INDIA JULY 23: Youth Congress activists protest against the Madhya Pradesh Government with regard to the Vyapam scam.(Photo by Pankaj Tiwari/India Today Group/Getty Images)
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BHOPAL,INDIA JULY 23: Youth Congress activists protest against the Madhya Pradesh Government with regard to the Vyapam scam.(Photo by Pankaj Tiwari/India Today Group/Getty Images)

Seventy doctors and medical students accused in the Vyapam scam and lodged in Gwalior Central Jail have written to President Pranab Mukherjee to either grant them bail or allow them to commit suicide.

They said that they were victims of "judicial disparity" and were behind bars without any indication of a trial, and that their 'future is dark'.

They said that while other accused arrested under same sections of the law had been released on bail in Jabalpur and Bhopal, the ones in Gwalior jail have been languishing. "We have been in jail for long, our families are suffering. Our economic condition is deteriorating," the letter said.

They group also sent letters to the prime minister's office, chief justices of India and Madhya Pradesh high court, human rights commission and the union home minister.

"Negative thoughts like committing suicide have devastated us as we continue to face psychological and social problems," the accused said.

Fifteen days ago, five medical students in Gwalior, accused in Vyapam scam but later cleared by a state-level probe, had also written to the President to allow them to commit suicide.

Vyapam scam is named after the state's higher education department, where politicians and government officials are alleged to have allowed imposters to take exams for government jobs in Madhya Pradesh in exchange for a massive Rs 2,000 crore in bribes. A Special Investigation Team (SIT)-probe into the scam is being monitored by the Jabalpur High Court.

The scam was unearthed in 2007, but had drifted out of public attention. But it has become a raging issue in 2015, as reports said 47 witnesses and accused have died in the last six months, mostly in road 'accidents'. The police termed 23 of them as unnatural deaths, pointing to foul play.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.