Patna: Bihar's Class 12 topper in the arts stream Ruby Rai, who is currently under arrest for allegedly cheating during examination, has said that she just wanted to pass but his parents went ahead and made her the topper.
“Maine to Papa se kaha tha pass karwa dijiye, unhone ne to top hi karwa diya.(I had only asked Papa to see that I pass but he went ahead and made me topper),” Rai reportedly told investigators.
The 17-year-old girl who grabbed national headlines after a video of her describing Political Science subject as ‘Prodikal Science’ which teaches 'cooking' went viral, has been upfront in admitting that she never deserved to be a topper.
Her arrest has divided the government with some asking why the girl has been arrested while her father who was complicit in the conspiracy is free.
"The arts topper was very forthright in accepting that she did not deserve to be a topper,” Manu Maharaj, Patna special SP heading the special investigation team (SIT) probing the scam, told The Indian Express.
“She had expected second division at best. She now blamed her guardians and Vishun Roy College principal Bachcha Rai for making her topper.”
She also said her college principal Bachcha Rai, who is suspected to be the kingpin in the ranking scam, is a distant relative.
Rubi Rai had previously failed to appear in the re-test twice - on June 3 and June 17. She reportedly informed the board that she was not well and unable to appear for the re-test.
But on Saturday, Rai appeared for a re-test and on being asked to write an essay on poet and saint Tulsidas, she wrote a one line answer that read ‘Tulsidas ji, Pranaam’.
The VR college director-cum-principal Bachcha Rai was arrested early this month and was lodged in Beur jail in Patna. So far, nearly 20 people have been arrested by a special investigation team.
A total of 14 students were called for a re-test by the BSEB after a news channel broadcast a sting in which Rubi Rai said, "Prodikal (read political) science is about cooking", and Saurabh Shreshtha, a Science topper, said, "Most reactive element in the periodic table is aluminium."
Ruby had scored 444 out of 500 marks in the Arts stream and Saurabh Shreshtha 485 out of 500 in Science. Both studied in V.R. College in Vaishali district.
Former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh and his wife Usha Sinha were recently arrested in connection with the issue.
During questioning the private assistant (PA) of former BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Singh revealed that Rs 15 lakh was charged for declaring toppers through dubious means, SSP Maharaj said.
The PA, Vikash Chandra, further revealed that a sum of Rs 10 lakh was charged from a failed student to give them pass certificates, he said.
Teachers and state education officials were left red-faced last year after television footage showed scores of desperate parents and others scaling outer walls of buildings to pass books and pieces of paper to students inside taking exams.
