A PhD guide at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University has been accused of demanding a bribe from a research student in exchange for signing progress reports. The incident has sparked outrage within the university community.
The accused, Dr. Eraj Siddiqui, who works as a librarian at Dr. Rafiq Zakaria Women's College, allegedly demanded a monthly bribe of ₹10,000 from the student for signing the necessary documents required to receive a fellowship.
Her son, Dr. Siddiqui Mo. Faisoddin, who is the Assistant Director of ERS Research and Technology Pvt. Ltd., was caught by the police while accepting an advance payment of ₹50,000 from the student. A case has been registered at the Begumpura Police Station against Dr. Siddiqui, her son, and others involved.
The complainant, a PhD student in Library and Information Science, had been appointed Dr. Eraj Siddiqui as their research guide. The student receives a monthly fellowship of ₹50,400 from the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute (MahaJyoti). To continue receiving this fellowship, the student needed various documents signed by the PhD guide.
Dr. Siddiqui and her son allegedly demanded a total of ₹5 lakh for these signatures. In addition, library assistant Sheikh Umar Sheikh Gani reportedly demanded ₹25,000 to facilitate the signing process.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has taken swift action in this case, arresting Dr. Siddiqui's son during the exchange. The incident has raised concerns about corruption within academic institutions, particularly given the high salary of the accused professor.
