Burla: The Sambalpur University authorities have suspended Prof Bulu Maharana, a teacher in the Library Science department, following his arrest by the CBI for his alleged role in a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) rating bribery case on February 2.
Bulu Maharana was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday for allegedly receiving bribe from a private deemed university in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur for granting it an A++ NAAC rank. The CBI raided the Sambalpur University premises and Maharana’s government quarters, early this week and reportedly found incriminating documents suggesting that a NAAC team, including Prof Maharana, allegedly granted the Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) NAAC++ ranking in lieu of a hefty bribe.
Subsequently, the CBI sealed his government quarters in the Jyoti Vihar campus. Following the allegations, the CBI raided 20 locations across India, including Chennai, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi.
During the raids, the CBI seized Rs 37 lakh, 6 laptops, gold, mobile phones, and other incriminating materials.
