Patna, June 6: The state government today directed police to start a criminal investigation into the Intermediate (science and arts stream) toppers' scandal. It ordered the scrapping of the probe panels formed by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) and the education department.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, in a meeting with education minister Ashok Choudhary, BSEB chairman Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, director-general of police P.K. Thakur and other department officials, directed the police to lodge an FIR in this connection and act accordingly.

Nitish, sources said, rebuked Lalkeshwar for ordering the formation of a committee without the state government's approval. Lalkeshwar told The Telegraph after the meeting that he had been directed to wind up the committee. "I can only say that the committee, which BSEB formed last week, to probe and submit its report stands dissolved."

The three-member panel formed by the education department to probe the matter was in the process of getting dissolved too, department officials said. With acting principal education secretary R.K Mahajan stating that they would lodge an FIR, DGP Thakur said if the ambit of the police investigation widened, a special investigating team will be formed to look into the case.

On Saturday, the BSEB had cancelled the results of two students, namely Saurav Shreshtha and Rahul Kumar (science stream) after it was found that the answers which they had given in the special examination and interview conducted on Friday, were unsatisfactory.

Arts topper Ruby Rai didn't appear for the retest and has been given time until June 11 to appear before the board or face similar consequences.

All the three students had taken the Intermediate examinations in February from Vaishali's Vishun Roy College.

Earlier today, Lalkeshwar, during a conversation with The Telegraph, said he knew about the alleged suspicious actions of Vishun Roy College since the previous academic year.

However, the board didn't act immediately towards getting the matter probed or forming a committee in connection with the same.

"Last year, we suspected that the college was into illegal activities. Hamari un par paini nazar thi (We were keeping a close eye on the college). But we couldn't find good people who could be requested to take up the matter and investigate or work towards the suspension of affiliation of the college," said Lalkeshwar.

Lalkeshwar, while claiming that he had informed the department's principal secretary before forming the now dissolved committee, said that the board had formed another committee two months ago to probe into the activities of the college.

"The report of the committee has come to us around a fortnight ago. I have not been able to go through it, however. I must add that before the formation of the committee to probe into the toppers' issue, I had informed the principal education secretary about it. I formed this committee as the controversy was escalating and I was under tremendous pressure. Hamare ghar mein aag lagi hui thi aur main aatankit tha. Our house (board) was on fire and I was under tremendous pressure and was terrorised)," said Lalkeshwar.