Patna: Amit Kumar, alias Bachcha Rai, once the face of Bihar’s 2016 board exam scam, has resurfaced in the state’s political landscape. On Thursday, Rai met All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Araria and announced that the party would hold a rally in Mahua on October 6. Rai had joined AIMIM in last week of August.
The constituency is already one of the most contested in Bihar, with Tej Pratap Yadav, elder son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, pitted against sitting MLA Mukesh Roshan of his own party. Rai’s entry has further complicated the field, injecting an element of notoriety into the race.
Rai was once secretary and principal of VR College in Vaishali district. In 2016, the credibility of the state’s board examinations collapsed after “toppers” from his college failed to answer basic questions on national television — Ruby Rai infamously described political science as “prodigal science,” while science topper Saurabh Shrestha struggled to name the formula for water.
The scandal led to a re-test and an investigation that placed Rai at the centre of a racket enabling students to top exams fraudulently. He later surrendered in court, spent time in jail, and was released on bail. Enforcement Directorate raids on his premises unearthed Rs 2.75 crore in cash, while land worth crores was seized in 2018. The then Bihar School Examination Board chairman, Lalkeshwar Prasad, and his wife, Usha Sinha, were also arrested.
