Nagpur: A major data leak scandal has rocked Nagpur’s education sector. Allegations have surfaced that officials from BARTI (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute, Pune) colluded with a private coaching institute, Pyramid Tutorials, to illegally share confidential student data for commercial gain.
Background
BARTI selects 150 students every year for free JEE and NEET coaching under a state-run scheme. These students can choose from six reputed coaching institutes in Nagpur. However, before students could even make their selections this year, Pyramid Tutorials allegedly obtained the confidential list of all 150 students through unauthorized means — reportedly with help from within BARTI itself.
Inducements and Misuse of Data
Once in possession of the data, Pyramid representatives allegedly contacted every student, offering them cash incentives of ₹5,000 each and other benefits to join their institute. They also used BARTI’s and the Maharashtra government’s logos without authorization to organize a promotional seminar, misleading students and parents.
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07 Oct 2025
Parents Raise Alarm
Distressed by repeated calls and unethical offers, several parents lodged complaints with Ashish Fulzhele of the Human Rights Protection Forum, questioning how their children’s confidential details — submitted only to BARTI — had reached a private coaching center. They accused certain BARTI officials of selling or leaking student data to Pyramid Tutorials for personal benefit.
Official Action
Following the complaint, BARTI Director General Sunil Ware issued formal notices to both Pyramid Tutorials’ management and Anil Walke, Assistant Project Manager at BARTI Nagpur. The notice demanded an immediate written explanation and warned of disciplinary and legal action if satisfactory clarification was not provided.
Attempts to contact Director General Ware for further comment were unsuccessful.
Questions Over Data Security
The controversy has sparked outrage, with critics demanding accountability from BARTI. The leaked information included students’ academic and social background data, which is considered confidential and protected. Parents and rights activists are asking how such sensitive information was accessed by an external coaching institute.
Past Allegations
This is not the first time Pyramid Tutorials has faced controversy. Last year, during police recruitment coaching, similar complaints were filed alleging the institute offered cash bribes and manipulated login credentials to influence students’ selection choices. The recurrence of such allegations has deepened suspicion of institutional collusion within BARTI’s local administration.
The investigation continues, but the scandal has already raised serious concerns over data privacy, misuse of government logos, and ethical violations in educational schemes meant for underprivileged students.
