Skip to content Skip to navigation

Guwahati IGNOU into CBI trap, Chief likely to become scapegoat


The Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) has arrested an employee of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Guwahati Centre on alleged charges of financial scam worth about Rs.26 lakh. On Monday last the accused, Niranjan, was granted three days remand by CBI Special court. According to Senior CBI Chief, Hiren Nath, huge financial irregularities were reported in this prestigious institution and accordingly the CBI began investigation and detected a scam of Rs.25.65 lakh. The CBI has registered a case No. RC 0172010A0007, against the Director of IGNOU, Guwahati Centre, Dr Vardhini Bhattacharjee and the office assistant, Niranjan. The CBI has also seized all the records and other papers related to the financial irregularities.


According to the report, Niranjan has told the investigating team that in alliance with the Centre Director, he managed to manipulate lakhs of rupees by preparing false bills in the name of non-existing Manas Travels and Bajrang Goods Carrier. Besides this, while shifting the office from Chandmari to Christian Basti, about Rs.15 lakh, were manipulated by preparing fake bills in the name of Bajrang Goods Carrier. He has been reported of giving some sensational information about the purchases of vehicles and their repairing and informed the CBI that some outsiders were also involved in the scam. The CBI is trying to bring all of them in its net by its investigation going to the root of the scandal.


It may be mentioned in this regard that the IGNOU Guwahati Centre was running in a mess even since it was functioning at Chandmari. A news report filed by this reporter in the month of August 2008, brought it to the knowledge of IGNOU HQs at New Delhi, after which a lot of changes have taken place and the regional office was also shifted to the new and spacious place. In the recent case the Director, Dr Vardhini Bhattacharjee seems to have been made scapegoat. A big lobby seems to have been working behind the scene, which was not cared for even by the institution. The report filed by this reporter goes on as “according to the students, the regional centre is anarchic. There is no one responsible person except the Regional Centre Director, Dr V. Bhattacharjee, who has to remain most of the time outside the city on her official assignments. It is alleged that the Deputy Director, second in position, does not take any responsibility to solve the problems of the students.”


Refuting the allegations the official, informed this reporter that the report concerned was baseless as the functioning of the Centre was going on well. If the things were going on smoothly, how these anomalies have occurred and detected. Even in small organizations, there is system of looking into the affairs by the next official in absence of the Chief. The IGNOU Guwahati Centre has already issued a rejoinder that the director is in no way involved in this scam. Let us see what the CBI brings out in this case.


Comments

Suyog Bajaj's picture

Its very surprising to hear that a scholar of a prestigious university is involved in this scam, how someone who wants to seek education can have faith on their future.
Kanaksen Deka's picture

Knowing people like Dr. V Bhatterjee, her husband Dr. D S Bhattarjee I am to raise serious question on the ability of CBI officials in Guwahati. Regional Director IGNOU has just been tormented by the tyrants of CBI. The same has been done with another organization, Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE). These people have no idea about where real corruption is taking place! They are just running after issues which have hurt their inflated ego's.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

IMA allege anomalies in Covid-19 management

8 Jul 2020 - 11:59pm | AT News
Guwahati: The Indian Medical Association has strongly criticized the COVID19 care and management in Assam and suggested the government to formulate measures taking the medical experts into confidence...

Needy families out of the reach of NFSA

24 Aug 2017 - 7:12am | AT Kokrajhar Bureau
Nearly 20 % percent beneficiaries are alleged to have been deprived  of the opportunity in the National Food Security Act(NFSA) in the four districts in  BTAD region. This was what BTC...

32 years of Assam Accord

15 Aug 2017 - 8:37am | Akshaya Pranab Kalita
 Thirty two years have passed since the Assam Accord was signed to detect and deport the illegal migrants. But thr crucial phase of the historic pact remains unimplemented.  All Assam...

Anfar distributes food on Ramadhan eve

1 Jul 2014 - 9:45am | AT News
Hojai based Anfar Foundation in partnership with Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) distributed food packs to some 18064 people in the three districts of Nagaon, Morigaon and Sonitpur on the ocassion of...

Other Contents by Author

The Asian Centre for Human Rights in a briefing to media persons at Guwahati Press Club on Friday, alleged that about fifty thousand Garos and Rabhas displaced by conflict since January 1, 2011, are being discriminated in terms of relief and rehabilitation in comparison to assistance being provided to the Kashmiri Pandits and Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, by the Government of India. Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights, Suhas Chakma said, in terms of rations at the relief camps at Jammu and in Delhi, Kashmiri internally displaced persons are given Rs.1,000 per head per month subject to maximum of Rs.4,000 per family per month plus dry ration. The Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India...
Reacting to some recent announcements by Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, one of his critics said, ‘If assurances, promises, advertisements and laying of foundation stones are the signs of development, then of course Assam is more developed state in comparison to Bihar.’ The critic passed this remark over an elusive speech by the chief minister in a function held in Guwahati recently. It is reported that the chief minister claimed strongly that Assam was more developed state than Bihar. The critic further said that this was a nightmare of the chief minister, who seemed to be ‘jealous’ of the functioning of Bihar government led by Janata Dal (U) leader, Nitish...
News Time Assam, the first 24x7 news channel of Assam was launched in presence of Rose Valley Group Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Gautam Kundu, channel’s Chief Editor, Pratap Bordoloi ,Rosé Valley Group Director, Shivomoy Dutta and Soumendo Das, Business head of Brand Value Communication Ltd, who briefed the media persons on this occasion. With its signal tested two weeks back, the project has been completed in six months with all the permissions from the Central and State governments. The channel has begun with a motto to uplift the aspirations of the rural people, With its launch the News Time Assam has become a major player as a media organization in the North East...
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Guwahati is functioning in complete anarchy. The telephone users and subscribers keep on running from pallor to post for redress of their grievances every day, but there is not a single person, who can assure the removal of anomalies in the functioning of the department. For instance, a subscriber having telephone connection from BSNL No 0361-2491959 lodged a complaint for repairs of the fault at ‘198’ in the month of May 2010. Since the subscriber is a senior citizen and a freelance journalist, he has got Broadband connection also for his professional activities. Due to faulty telephone neither he was in position to use it nor...
China has constructed two reservoirs of 42 million cubic meter and 31 million cubic meter at Great Band area, which is 60-70 kms away from village Gogring in India, said Jana Jagriti chief, Ashok Anand Singhal. Addressing the media persons at Guwahati recently, Singhal refuted China’s claim that these water reservoirs are the result of landslides. He said, this is not a landslide, but it’s man made. He added that it is well known fact that water storage facilities are needed for power project. Now China is constructing four tunnels. Tunnel one will generate 16,000 MW, while other two tunnels are of 26,600MW (13300 MW) each and fourth tunnel will generate 2,400 MW of electricity...
Farmers in Hojai subdivision of Nagaon district of Assam are spending sleepless nights due to the fear of land mafias, who are conspiring to grab their agricultural land with the help of a few corrupt district officials, said Shiladitya Dev, National Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party Kisan Morcha. Addressing the media persons at Guwahati Press club on December 8 last, he alleged that for the last few months it is noticed that land mafias have been trying to grab the land by fraudulent means and have been utilizing the services of a few government officials in the nefarious deals. In this connection he has already submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, Assam He further said...
‘Proud must have a fall’, is the old proverb universally accepted. Being in power one can boast much and challenge anybody to prove his strength. Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi is no exception to it. He has recently challenged Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader, Akhil Gogoi, to prove his strength by contesting elections, which is now-a- days is generally won by money and muscle power. The Chief Minister is well aware that Akhil Gogoi has neither money nor muscle power to win the race. Whether he has support of grass root people or not, was witnessed recently, when he called the people for rallies protesting against administrative corruption and construction of...
Assam Governor, Janaki Ballabh Pattanaik, who recently fell into the bathroom of Dibrugarh circuit house, had to go to All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for treatment of the fracture .There successful surgery has been done on his ailment. Similarly, when the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi had to go for by-pass surgery, he was advised to go to Mumbai. It all makes the fun of the Assam’s health and family welfare departments, which claims of providing ‘world class’ services in the healthcare sector. It is a question mark on state’s health services? If the publicity through the advertisements of the Assam government in media is to be...
Despite child labor legislation enforced in the country, the children in domestic works are not treated as children at all. The domestic workers below the age of 18 years, who are employed within households to perform chores, can be as young as four or five years old. Children in domestic work are one of the most disturbing factor in our society. It is disturbing because these children are isolated and separated from their family. The high incidence of deceptive recruitment and trafficking characterizes it and exploitative nature of working condition makes the children vulnerable to sexual abuse. The North Eastern Regional Domestic Workers Welfare Trust (NERDWWT), an NGO based in...
Unabated militant activities and delay in creating conducive atmosphere for the peace talks between the Government and militants, comprising the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)’s pro=talk group, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Dima Halong Daogah (DHD) and others, is the main reason leading to gradual disappointment among the minds of the people of Assam, who are eagerly awaiting for return of peace in the state at any cost. The Union and State governments are watching for an appropriate time to suit their ‘political aims’ fulfilled and make the anti-talk militant groups weaker by the every passing day. Even the militants do not spare a single day,...