A Delhi University official claimed on Monday that National Students Union of India National Secretary Akshay Kumar submitted fake documents to secure admission in the Department of Buddhist Studies, PTI reported. The unidentified official said the matter came to light after the department got the degrees of all students who enrolled for PhD courses verified in January.

The official said that Kumar allegedly submitted fake Master of Arts (English) marksheets. He added that a first information report had been registered at Maurice Nagar Police Station on March 16. In its complaint, the Department of Buddhist Studies said Kumar submitted marksheets which showed that he enrolled for the PhD programme in March 2017, and submitted marksheets from the Manav Bharti University in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. But the varsity denied issuing them.

The official said the department will now take Kumar’s case to the Departmental Research Committee, which will forward it to the Board of Research Studies. “A due process is followed in such cases,” said the unidentified official. “The decisions are not taken in a haste.”

Saimon Farooqui, the media and communications manager of the NSUI, admitted than an FIR was registered in March, but said the university had failed to prove its allegations. “This is being raised to protect [Delhi University Students Union President and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad leader] Ankiv Baisoya,” he alleged.

The NSUI has accused Baisoya, who was elected the president of Delhi University Students’ Union on September 13, of submitting a fake graduation marksheet. Farooqui claimed that in Baisoya’s case, the varsity was waiting for two months to pass before disqualifying him, as ABVP’s Shakti Singh [DUSU vice president], will then become president. “But if Baisoya is disqualified before two months are up, either the candidate who came second will become the president, or there will be a re-polling,” he added.