Staff Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, Jan 25: Amid allegations of rampant corruptions in the day to day affairs of Dibrugarh University, hundreds of teachers including the deans of various studies of the varsity on Monday took out a protest march within the campus and later staged a sit-in demonstration at the portico of the office of the vice chancellor here.
The protesters under the banner of Dibrugarh University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) have petitioned the Assam Governor-cum-Chancellor of the university to institute a high-level probe into the alleged grave financial irregularities and misuse of public funds in Dibrugarh University. The teachers’ body has accused Professor Ranjit Tamuli, the vice chancellor of gross financial irregularities and mismanagement of public funds by misusing his position and power.
Professor Tamuli has been accused of submitting forged invoices to withdraw public funds. DUTA in its memorandum to the Governor has stated that Professor Tamuli used fraudulent hotel invoices and bogus conveyance bills to withdraw public funds. Cross checking of the invoices has revealed that they are fabricated, they mentioned. They further alleged that funds under UGC CAS (SAP) were also misused by purchasing vitrified tiles at an inflated rate for the Department of Assamese, Dibrugarh University.
During the pandemic the vice chancellor purchased a luxury car and violated the order issued by Government of Assam vide number BW.15/2002/94 dated Dispur, April 29, 2020, wherein government had banned the purchase of all sorts of vehicles except in case of ambulance and vehicles required for police duty. Making fresh appointments and re-employments of non-teaching staff of close relatives in this university by Prof Tamuli without seeking prior approval from the Government of Assam is another instance of misuse of position and violation of the Clause 41A(1), the Dibrugarh University (Amendment) Act, 2013, said the protesting teachers.
Moreover, while inviting and awarding tender, the teachers’ body said that the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) rules and General Financial Rules have been ignored and that allotment of work is carried out in a biased manner.
DUTA organised the protest march with a banner and placards from its Centre for Library and Information Science Studies before holding the sit-in demonstration. Although the vice chancellor who came out to explain his position said that a ‘fact finding committee’ has been constituted to probe into all allegations of corruption and financial irregularities, the teachers’ body has refused to accept it. “How can an accused form a fact finding committee? Besides, two among the three-member fact finding committee happen to be administrative officers of the varsity. Is it justified?” asked Dr Lakhi Ram Saikia, president of DUTA.
The protesting teachers’ body, who were joined by the employees union and students’ body of the varsity, have demanded an enquiry by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department or any other competent authority in all the tendering processes, awarding of works, supply of materials and discharging of payments/invoices in the Planning and Construction Branch, Dibrugarh University.
