Vijayanagara: The arrest of two doctors and a first division assistant (FDA) has exposed a widening scandal involving fraudulent claims to secure government medical seats under the disability quota using fake medical certificates.
Earlier, H Prasanna, executive director of the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), flagged 21 cases where candidates submitted suspicious documents claiming hearing disabilities to gain MBBS seats. These individuals were found ineligible for Unique Disability ID (UDID) cards but produced questionable certificates.
Following a complaint filed by KEA administrator Islauddin Gadyal, a case was registered at Malleshwaram police station in Bengaluru. Investigations revealed irregularities, as most certificates were recently obtained.
Dr Sudhakar, an ophthalmologist at Mangalore PHC, was previously arrested. Recently, Dr Hariprasad (RMO, Hosapete Subdivision Government Hospital) and Dr Srinivas (paediatrician, Kamalapur Government Hospital) were also taken into custody. Additionally, Umesh Nagappa Chowdhury, a former FDA at Hosapete district hospital, was arrested for allegedly validating fake certificates and issuing UDID cards to multiple candidates.
District health officer (DHO) Dr LR Shankar Naik distanced the local hospitals from blame, stating that most fraudulent certificates originated from Bengaluru, and that hospitals merely issued UDID cards. However, a senior physician questioned why doctors did not notice unauthorized UDID issuance by subordinates.
Further scrutiny revealed that Hagaribommanahalli hospital lacked the specialists required to issue UDIDs, suggesting involvement of an absconding case worker, Ashok, suspected of fabricating disability IDs.
Deputy Commissioner Kavita S Mannikeri confirmed an ongoing investigation and affirmed that district authorities are monitoring the situation closely. DHO Naik assured full cooperation with police efforts to uncover the truth.
