Dibrugarh University vice-chancellor Ranjit Tamuli was suspended by Assam governor Jagadish Mukhi on February 11 following allegations of financial irregularities and misuse of public funds, Raj Bhawan officials said.
The officials said that the governor as chancellor of Dibrugarh University suspended the VC and handed over the charge to RNS Yadav, a professor at the department of life sciences and the dean of the faculty of biological sciences, as he is the senior most professor of the state university.
A Raj Bhawan release also said that various organisations and individuals including Dibrugarh University Teachers’ Association, Dibrugarh University Officers’ Association, Dibrugarh University Employees’ Association and elected representatives had earlier submitted petitions to the governor complaining gross allegations of financial anomalies and misappropriation of funds against Tamuli.
“Not satisfied with the explanation of Ranjit Tamuli, the governor, in order to ascertain veracity of the allegations and find out the true facts, constituted a fact-finding committee under the chairmanship of commissioner and secretary to the Government of Assam‘s Higher Education department Preetom Saikia. After the three-member committee report, the governor suspended the VC,” the release said.
It said that the fact-finding committee found prima facie a case of grave misconduct, abuse of power and lack of commitment on the part of Tamuli.
The governor at the same time decided to appoint a high level enquiry committee to go into details of functioning of the Dibrugarh University for the last five years including these allegations and matters related to financial transaction and administration, corruption, discipline, misuse of funds, misuse of powers among other aspects of university governance.
“The decision for immediate suspension has been taken to ensure that witnesses are not influenced or coerced in any way and material records of the university are not tampered with in any manner whatsoever and for ensuring a fair enquiry,” the release said.
