Teachers’ council accuses NBU of inaction in pilfering case

SILIGURI, May 6: A section of the North Bengal University Teachers’ Council has alleged that the NBU authorities were sitting on charges of economic irregularity against the former vice chancellor Mr Pijush Kanti Saha, former controller of examinations Mr Dilip Kumar Sarkar, who is now the university’s registrar, and the institution’s financial officer Mr Pradip Ghosh. “Though the NBUTC demanded an impartial probe into the economic irregularity charges involving a huge amount almost an year back, the university authority has not yet initiated any investigation,” said the NBUTC secretary Mr Jyotish Basak.
“The NBU Teachers’ Council had charged the university authority with lack of transparency in financial affairs. It was suspected that irregular dealings were being done at the highest level of the university involving huge amounts allocated for the university’s upgradation. No probe was initiated for obvious reasons,” Mr Basak stated.

Asked whether the NBUTC would take up the issue with the new vice chancellor Prof. Arunava Basu Majumder, Mr Basak said that the matter might be discussed again at the Teachers’ Council. “The former VC used his powers to scuttle the probe demand. Now with a new VC in charge we can expect better things,” the NBUTC secretary said.  It is being supposed in the university circles that a huge amount was siphoned off from the NBU fund and internal and external auditing were put off on the ground that the amount was meant for ‘confidential expenses.’  According to the NBUTC, last year it had submitted various documents to the Chancellor of the university who happens to be the Governor of West Bengal to substantiate the irregularity charges as a result of which some internal investigations were conducted. “Yet, we are still in the dark about the outcome of the investigation,” lamented a senior NBUTC member. [The Statesman]