cbi-likely-to-probe-veracity-of-jharkhand-minister-s-phd-degree

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to investigate allegations of a fake PhD degree that Jharkhand’s Water Resources and Minority Welfare Minister, Hafizul Hasan, purportedly obtained through suspicious international links. 

The DIG of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Jaya Roy, has written a letter to the Director of CBI asking him to take necessary steps and probe the matter. Roy also forwarded a letter written by Jharkhand’s leader of opposition, Babulal Marandi, in which details of the case have been mentioned.

Marandi had sent the letter to the NIA on May 3, in which he alleged that the PhD degree held by Hafizul Hasan was fake, and that the institute from which he had obtained the degree had suspicious international links.

Hafizul claims to be a PhD degree-holder on the basis of research undertaken on the subject of ‘Social Welfare and Politics in Modern Society’. The minister claims to have obtained this degree from an institute named, Bharat Virtual Open University.

However, the said institute is not recognized by either the UGC or any state government, alleges Marandi in his letter. It has also been claimed that a gang operates in the institute’s name, where it indulges in illegal goings-on.

The institute, states Marandi in his letter, is run via Concept Education Trust that is accused of malpractice in the garb of offering people jobs abroad.

Furthermore, the institute, which affiliates with the Central Christian University of East Africa, is said to have links that trace to Pakistan. This came to light after its chancellor was awarded a degree on March 28, 2025, by an institution based in Islamabad.

In the complaint made by Marandi to the NIA, it’s stated that after the BJP made this matter public, the minister removed all photographs and posts related to the matter from his X account.

The university’s website, meanwhile, has remained shut since the morning of April 30, 2025. 

While the BJP has demanded a thorough investigation, citing security concerns of the country, Hafizul Hasan has not yet commented on the matter.