Recruitment irregularities: Tezpur University VC 'pressured faculties to rig' Associate Professor recruitment

Guwahati: Tezpur University (TU) Vice-Chancellor Shambhu Nath Singh, who is already accused of involvement in financial irregularities and corruption, has faced a fresh charge of irregularities in the recruitment of an associate professor in the university, which has come to light now.

The new allegations center on the questionable appointment of Akhilesh Kumar as an Associate Professor in the Education Department, a process sources claim was heavily influenced to bypass standard university procedures and allegedly involving manipulation of the candidate shortlist.

The controversy stems from a sudden and unexplained revision to the list of shortlisted candidates. On August 18, 2023, TU's website published the initial shortlist of eligible candidates for the Associate Professor post in the Education Department, with 21 candidates selected for interviews.

A revised shortlist was surprisingly published just one day before the scheduled interviews (August 25, 2023), on August 24, 2023. This new list included the name of Akhilesh Kumar, who had not been deemed eligible in the initial screening. Post-interview, Akhilesh Kumar was subsequently appointed to the position.

Bypassing Official Screening

A key accusation is that Akhilesh Kumar's name was added to the final interview list despite the Screening Committee explicitly not selecting him. Under TU rules, this committee is responsible for shortlisting candidates.

"It is a serious question of authority and process how Akhilesh Kumar, whom the committee did not consider eligible, was included in the second list on the day before the interview, and by whose directive the candidate was ultimately selected by the selection committee," a source stated, pointing to a potential misuse of power.

Sources further noted that the revised list published on August 24 was signed by only two officials before being posted on the website: Nilratan Roy, the then Head of the department of Education, and Raja Rafiul Haque, the then Dean of Academic Affairs.

Crucially, according to sources, both Roy and Haque were allegedly pressured by TU VC Shambhu Nath Singh to sign the revised list that included Kumar's name, suggesting a direct intervention by the Vice-Chancellor to manipulate the recruitment process.

Roy said that he served on the screening committee for the Associate Professor position. He said applicant Akhilesh Kumar failed to meet several essential criteria established by the UGC, including the minimum requirements for the post.

"Kumar's application was deemed unsatisfactory due to a missing salary certificate and unsuitable publications, among other issues," Roy told Northeast Now.

"So, we unanimously decided not to shortlist him. All screening committee members, including the chairman, agreed, and the list of shortlisted candidates was subsequently approved and published on the TU website without his name," he said.

But the process quickly went sideways. According to Roy, VC Sambhu Nath Singh called him in immediately afterward, demanding to know why Kumar's name was missing.

"Why was Akhilesh Kumar's name not there in the list? Why you have not shortlisted him? You must shortlist him," the VC allegedly pressed.

“This is how the VC forcefully made me sign the revised list,” Roy said.

The interference didn't end there. Roy said that during the interview, Kumar again "failed to answer properly." As head of the department, Roy objected to Kumar's selection, but VC Singh allegedly "muzzled" his voice.

Questionable Appointment to CODL Director

Further allegations concern Kumar's subsequent elevation to an administrative role. Despite being a newly appointed associate professor, Kumar was made the Director of the Centre for Open and Distance Learning (CODL), a post he still holds.

Sources indicate that this appointment breaks with the university's established custom of assigning the responsibility of a center or department to a more experienced professor.

The decision to appoint an associate professor, allegedly by Vice-Chancellor Singh, has raised additional concerns about favouritism and adherence to institutional norms.

VC Shambhu Nath Singh was not available for comments. An email sent to him regarding the allegations remain unanswered. Northeast Now will update the story when he responds.

Regarding the allegations, Akhilesh Kumar said, "When I saw my name was missing from the list of shortlisted candidates, and the reason for exclusion cited was insufficient teaching experience, I wrote a letter of objection to both the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar."

"After that, I received a response, and a second list was published that included my name. Subsequently, I was called for an interview and was selected," he told this news website.