RSS-linked JNU professor booked in NAAC bribery scandal

In yet another case exposing the deep-seated corruption within institutions associated with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and its affiliates, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has suspended Professor Rajeev Sijariya, following his arrest by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) in a bribery scandal linked to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Sijariya, a professor at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship, was allegedly part of a racket that manipulated NAAC ratings in exchange for bribes, bringing further disrepute to an education system already suffering from saffronisation and divisive politicisation under the RSS–BJP regime.

His arrest also raises troubling questions about the credibility of academic assessments and the infiltration of right-wing loyalists into prestigious institutions.

RSS nexus exposed again?

A cursory look at Sijariya’s official profile on the JNU website and his social media accounts revealed his close ties with the RSS and its ideological offshoots — the BJP, the ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) and the ABRSM (Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh), a right-wing teachers’ group — until, that is, they were found to have been wiped rather clean on 4 February.

Ince was dean of JNU’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship (ABVSME), Sijariya has also a member of the CMAT Advisory Committee of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Not a man without some influence, certainly.

His fall from grace is not an isolated event but part of a larger pattern wherein individuals with RSS affiliations have exploited their positions for personal gain, while the government turns a blind eye until exposed by investigative agencies.

The NAAC bribery scandal

According to the FIR filed by the CBI, the scam involved bribes being paid to secure an A++ rating for Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) in Andhra Pradesh. The accreditation process, meant to uphold academic excellence, was instead used as a cash cow by corrupt officials.

The CBI revealed that the inspection team had initially demanded Rs 1.80 crore in bribes, which was later negotiated down to a laptop and a smaller monetary bribe, with key beneficiaries including the committee members and the chairperson. The final amounts agreed upon came to Rs 3 lakh to each of committee members, Rs 10 lakh to the team chairperson and travel expenses for the spouse of a visiting member.

Among the 10 individuals arrested were Sijariya, the chairman and six other members of the NAAC inspection committee. The FIR also names KLEF president Koneru Satyanarayana, NAAC’s former deputy adviser L. Manjunatha Rao and NAAC adviser M.S. Shyamsundar, though they have not been arrested yet.

Institutional degradation under RSS influence

This scandal highlights the systematic erosion of academic integrity in India under the BJP–RSS dispensation.

Institutions that were once independent are now increasingly staffed with ideologically aligned individuals whose primary allegiance is not to education but to their political masters. The NAAC bribery scandal is a glaring example of how academic excellence is being bartered for money and power, with RSS-backed individuals at the helm of these dubious dealings.

With this latest expose, the question arises: How deep does the rot run? And will the Modi government, which has consistently shielded its ideological allies, allow a fair and thorough investigation into the RSS-linked corruption within India’s educational institutions?