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After Shanmuganathan’s resignation, 3 Meghalaya Raj Bhawan staff shown the door
Three aides of the Meghalaya Raj Bhavan were sacked a day after Governor V Shanmugathan resigned amid a raging sleaze scandal, an official said on Saturday.
Three aides of the Meghalaya Raj Bhavan were sacked a day after governor V Shanmugathan resigned amid a raging sleaze scandal, an official said on Saturday.
The three officials -- public relation officers Chinmoyee Deka and Emdorini Thangkhiew, and private secretary Saurav Pandey – were appointed during the former governor’s tenure.
“They were appointed on contractual basis and their jobs were co-terminus with the governor’s tenure. After his resignation, they were asked to quit,” said HM Sangpliang, the secretary to the governor.
The 67-year-old former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ‘pracharak’, who was also in-charge of Arunachal Pradesh, resigned late on Thursday night after 100-odd Raj Bhavan sought his removal for lowering the dignity of the Raj Bhavan.
President Pranab Mukherjee accepted Shanmuganathan’s resignation on Friday and gave Assam governor Banwarilal Purohit additional charge of Meghalaya.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the employees had alleged that Shanmuganathan “seriously compromised the dignity of the Raj Bhavan and made it a ‘young ladies club’.
“It has become a place where young ladies come and go at will on direct orders of the Governor...Many of them have direct access to his bedroom,” they said.
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The letter also alleged that, Deka, who handled Shanmuganathan’s social media accounts, used to work from her bedroom in the Raj Bhawan, which was attached to the Governor’s bedroom.
“When this governor was in charge as governor of Manipur, Chinmoyee used to accompany the Governor to Imphal and stay in the same room with the governor in Raj Bhawan, Imphal,” the letter mentioned.
The letter also blamed secretary Sangpliang of “turning a deaf ear” when some women staff members of Raj Bhawan went to him earlier to complain against Shanmuganathan’s activities and misbehavior.
In a meeting with Raj Bhawan staffers on Friday, the IAS officer clarified and mentioned that he had attended to the complaint.
“There was a complaint by a woman staff of rude behaviour by the former governor. I asked her to lodge it in writing, but she said she would do so if such incident recurred,” Sangpliang said.
