The employees also alleged that Shanmuganathan had turned the Raj Bhavan into a “young ladies’ club”. (File photo) The employees also alleged that Shanmuganathan had turned the Raj Bhavan into a “young ladies’ club”. (File photo)

DIRECT CALLS by the Governor for personal interviews; a woman candidate who was appointed as a private assistant and later reappointed as a Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the Meghalaya Raj Bhavan. Apart from allegations of sexual impropriety levelled by his own staff, documents reviewed by The Indian Express and interviews with some of the women candidates, who had applied for two PRO posts at the Raj Bhavan, have revealed unusual deviations from norm by V Shanmuganathan, who quit as Meghalaya Governor late Thursday following a nudge from the Centre.

The candidates, who did not wish to be identified, claimed that Shanmuganathan personally contacted more than one of them over phone, calling for “one-to-one interviews” after they had been interviewed by three senior officers, including the Secretary.

Sources said one candidate was issued an appointment letter on December 7, joined on December 21 and went on leave two days later. This candidate, whose service ran along with the tenure of the Governor, had initially been appointed as a Personal Assistant to the Governor in March 2016 before being reappointed as PRO five months later, said sources.

Documents confirm that the candidate was first appointed as PA on March 7, 2016 at a pay scale of Rs 6500-Rs 12,700 per month, and then re-appointed as PRO on August 18, 2016, at a fixed monthly pay of Rs 30,000.

According to sources, another PRO who was selected after three rounds of interviews — the last by the Governor alone on December 8, 2016 — was issued an appointment letter dated December 7, 2016.

Detailing the interview process, the sources said:

# 10 female and five male candidates received calls from Raj Bhavan for an interview at the premises for the PRO’s post on November 7. These candidates had been shortlisted after they appeared in an interview at the Chief Minister’s Office in December 2015.

# On November 7, the candidates were interviewed by the Secretary and Under Secretary, Raj Bhavan.

# On November 28, five female and two male candidates were interviewed by the Secretary, Under Secretary and Director of Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR).

# On December 7, all seven were called again for an interview the same day, when the Governor and Secretary met them one-by-one between 10 am and 3.30 pm. Each were then given separate topics to write reports on. Later, they were asked to read out, one by one, what they had written.

# Some women candidates later got direct calls from the Governor to appear for another interview on December 8, during which two of them later reported alleged “indecent behaviour” by Shanmuganathan.

While the two women appointed as PROs were not available for comment, it is learnt that one of them had travelled to Itanagar with the Governor during his last official trip four days ago.

Sources said it was from Itanagar that Shanmuganathan sent his resignation letter to the President, after which he flew out to New Delhi via Guwahati on Friday. In Guwahati, he also offered prayers at the Kamakhya Temple.

One woman candidate, who was not selected, said she had received a message from another woman candidate about alleged “indecent behaviour” by the Governor during their one-to-one interview on December 8. “Two of the candidates I know got direct calls from the Governor asking them to appear in the personal interview on December 8,” alleged the candidate, who was not called for the final round.

H M Shangpliang, Secretary to the Governor, was not available for comment on the allegations that led to Shanmuganathan’s resignation.

On Wednesday, over 80 Raj Bhavan employees had levelled several allegations against the Governor, including these appointments, in a five-page letter to the prime minister and President. The employees also alleged that Shanmuganathan had turned the Raj Bhavan into a “young ladies’ club”.

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