From V-C to ‘Oman high commissioner’: How lure of VVIP life landed 66-yr-old in police net

Except, Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra caught on to one thing — “Oman is not part of the Commonwealth” and hence “there cannot be a High Commissioner to Oman”.

The police probe and Rana’s own admissions have revealed that he served as the Vice-Chancellor of some universities, though investigators say they are verifying all his claims.

Contentious stint

The Indian Express has found that Rana was appointed as the interim V-C of Kumaun University on May 15, 2019, by the then-Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya, currently a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government.

Maurya, when contacted, said, “Files for V-C appointment come after thorough scrutiny. The same was in this case. I didn’t extend any undue favour. I have nothing to do with him except that he is from Agra. If he has committed a crime, he must be punished.”

Dr Suresh Dalakoti, who has served as an executive council member at the university six times since 1998, said, “When the V-C before him stepped down, we wrote to the Governor stating that only the senior-most Dean of the University or the senior-most Principal should be given the post until the search committee recommends a name. However, the Governor appointed him. He had no prior experience working here. This was a violation of the acts and statutes of the University.”

Another EC member and a head of department in the university, who has been working since 1988, also said it was a deviation from the norm. “Later, his term was extended for another six months,” the professor said.

On May 8, 2020, a regular V-C was appointed on the recommendation of the Search and Selection Committee.

University officials said Rana stirred up controversies during his term. “He once said that parts of Uttar Pradesh such as Saharanpur, Bareilly, Meerut, and Moradabad should be in Uttarakhand. This was against our movement for the state. We had raised this issue, but no action was taken against him,” Dr Dalakoti said.

In 2019, Rana wrote to the Chief Election Officer of Uttarakhand that teachers and employees of the University be exempt from election duty. “Kumaun University is an autonomous institution. The teachers and employees working in it are active in political activities, and many employees/teachers are also associated with political parties. This can affect the secrecy and fairness of elections,” he wrote. His statement regarding the posting of university professors and associate professors in villages had drawn the ire of the locals. “(They) are a respected class and sending them on duty in the villages is against their dignity,” the letter stated.

Currently, Rana’s LinkedIn profile states that “with a profound background in law and international trade, I serve as the High Commissioner at the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman. In my current role since September 2024, I have been focused on export promotion and attracting foreign investment.”

On his brother’s shoulders

Rana was born in the Bamrauli Katra village near Agra. His brother, Vijay Singh Rana, was a four-time MLA from the Dayalbagh Assembly seat and a one-time MLC who has been with the Janata Party (Secular), the Lok Dal and the Janata Dal. In 2007, the Dayalbagh constituency gave way to Agra Rural.

Rana was raised by his brother, who was also the principal of a school in Agra. After completing his education from the same school, Rana was recruited to Agra College, where his brother was a trustee.

However, sources in the family say that with time, Vijay, who died in 2021, grew tired of his “behaviour” and his relentless ambition.

Devi Singh Narwar, who was Rana’s teacher at the same institute where Vijay was principal, said, “Vijay even wrote two books in which he chronicled his relations with his brother.”

One of the directors at Mewar University in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh, where Rana claims to have served as a Vice-Chancellor, said, “Yes, he was here, but always with a VVIP syndrome. We noticed he used flags on his car, which raised many questions. Within a year, I informed him that we cannot work together. He resigned afterwards.”

A UP BJP leader from Agra said, “He was never a member of the BJP or the RSS. He was close to a former governor with a socialist background and used this relationship to get in touch with us. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he made several visits to Mathura and expressed his willingness to contest from there or Fatehpur Sikri, but we did not take him seriously.”

In public eye

Despite the fake post he had allegedly invented for himself, Rana was seldom away from the public glare. On March 9 this year, there was a function in Mathura to felicitate several teachers for their work, where Rana was an invitee.

The convenor, Dr Dev Prakash, principal of Prem Mahavidyalaya in Mathura, said, “We invited after seeing his academic excellence. We have nothing to do with his style of functioning.”

On October 1 last year, Rana addressed a conclave at the birthplace of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on the occasion of International Environment Day.

He also wrote several books, including one on former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh, titled Rajpath par Kisan Raj, which was published in 2019.

Ajay Agrawal, the owner of Kavya Prakashan, which published some of Rana’s works, said, “We worked with him as an author as per our agreement. I never met him. I don’t want to comment on him.”

Rana was currently putting up in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, where a three-storey building sports a nameplate that reads: “Professor KS Rana, Vice Chancellor/ President.”

Neighbours say he shifted here two years ago with his driver and cook. On Saturday, the house was locked.

“A few days ago, he told me that he was going to Agra and would return soon. But then his cook left for Nepal suddenly, and the house has been locked since,” said a car cleaner.

Most of his neighbours were unaware of his arrest. “Here, he kept a low profile,” said a neighbour.

Ghaziabad Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhishek Shrivastava said Rana has been sent to judicial custody. “We are trying to collect as much evidence as we can from the universities and places where he has worked,” he said.