Sexual Misconduct, Nepotism, ₹60-Crore Project: APW Seeks High-Level Probe into KKHSOU

In a major development, the voluntary organisation Assam Public Works (APW) has submitted a detailed 208-page affidavit to the Governor of Assam, levelling extensive allegations of administrative misconduct, financial irregularities, illegal appointments and construction-related corruption in Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU).

The affidavit, filed by APW president Aabhijeet Sharma and secretary Dhrubajyoti Talukdar, follows directions issued by the Governor’s Secretariat on September 4, 2025 in response to APW’s earlier complaint lodged on August 7.

The affidavit identifies the current Vice Chancellor of KKHSOU as the primary accused, the former Registrar as second accused, and Deputy Registrar Ratul Kumar Patowary as the third accused, alleging their involvement in a series of decisions that APW says violated university procedures, government norms and financial rules.

According to APW, the Vice Chancellor was aware of anomalies in the appointment and service extension of the former Registrar much earlier than he publicly admitted. The affidavit cites minutes of the 68th Board of Management (BoM) meeting held in November 2022, soon after the Vice Chancellor assumed office, which recorded discussions related to the Registrar’s controversial appointment letter. Despite this, APW alleges, the Vice Chancellor took no corrective steps and instead allowed the Registrar to continue in service well beyond his superannuation date. Documents included in the affidavit show that the Registrar had himself informed the university that he would retire on 31 December 2021, yet he continued for an additional one year and eight months based on what APW describes as a “mere legal opinion”. The organisation contrasts this with what it calls the “hasty and unilateral” termination of another professor in 2023 without the Chancellor’s approval.

The affidavit also levels serious allegations regarding construction activities at both the Khanapara and Rani campuses of KKHSOU. APW claims that major decisions, including the initiation of a ₹60-crore construction project and the appointment of a Delhi-based consultancy firm, were taken without proper approval of the Board of Management. The consultancy firm, M/s Kapoor and Associates, allegedly made presentations to university bodies even before the BoM was officially informed of its appointment. APW further states that although the project has made no tangible progress and later faced opposition from the university’s teachers’ and employees’ associations, the firm raised an invoice of ₹12.18 lakh in May 2024.

The affidavit revives earlier charges of nepotism and illegal appointments linked to Deputy Registrar Ratul Kumar Patowary, who had faced departmental proceedings in 2020 over the appointment of two individuals, one of whom was a close relative of the then Vice Chancellor. APW notes that an inquiry conducted by a former IAS officer had outlined procedural violations, yet the proceedings were abruptly dropped within two days, raising questions over administrative interference. The affidavit adds that in 2024 the Internal Complaints Committee of the university found Patowary guilty of sexual misconduct, but the Vice Chancellor allegedly took no action, a matter now before the Gauhati High Court.

One of the most serious allegations concerns the splitting of construction work to bypass the mandatory open tender process for projects above ₹10 lakh. APW claims that a boundary wall project worth ₹46.41 lakh at the Rani campus was divided into six parts and awarded to one contractor, while another work worth ₹23.37 lakh was broken into four parts and allotted predominantly to a single individual. Payments for these works were allegedly facilitated jointly by the former Registrar and the Deputy Registrar.

APW has also accused university authorities of illegally constructing a multi-crore building on land at Rani that was never legally allotted to KKHSOU. According to documents annexed to the affidavit, 9 bighas of land under Dag No. 1299 were government land, and the transfer agreement executed between Assam Agricultural University (AAU) and KKHSOU clearly identified the plot as government property. APW contends that the construction proceeded without permission from any competent authority, raising concerns of potential quid-pro-quo arrangements.

Arguing that the alleged irregularities point to a deeper institutional failure, APW has urged the Governor to order a wider investigation to identify all officials who may have played a role in what the organisation describes as a “systematic misuse of public office”. The organisation has expressed willingness to assist the Raj Bhavan in the inquiry and has attached a comprehensive list of annexures, including correspondence, minutes of meetings, land documents, court papers and construction-related records.

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