The voluntary organisation Assam Public Works (APW) has filed a detailed 208-page affidavit before the Governor of Assam, alleging serious financial, administrative and construction-related irregularities in Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU). The affidavit has been submitted by APW president Aabhijeet Sharma and secretary Dhrubajyoti Talukdar. It follows earlier directions issued by the Governor’s Secretariat on September 4 this year after APW made a complaint in August.
According to the contents mentioned in the affidavit, the organisation has levelled a series of allegations against the present Vice Chancellor of KKHSOU, the former Registrar and Deputy Registrar Ratul Kumar Patowary. APW has named the Vice Chancellor as the main accused, the former Registrar as second accused and the Deputy Registrar as third accused. It says the three officials were directly involved in decisions which, according to APW, were taken without following proper university rules, financial procedures and government guidelines.
APW has stated that the Vice Chancellor was aware of the controversy regarding the appointment and later extension of the former Registrar much before he admitted it in public. The affidavit refers to minutes of the 68th Board of Management meeting held in November 2022. APW says the minutes clearly recorded a discussion on the former Registrar’s appointment letter soon after the Vice Chancellor assumed office. Even then, APW alleges, no corrective step was taken. According to documents attached to the affidavit, the former Registrar himself informed the university that he would retire on 31 December 2021, but he continued for one year and eight months more. APW has described the extension as being based only on a legal opinion, while pointing out that another professor was removed in 2023 without approval from the Chancellor. 
The affidavit has also made several allegations about the construction works at the Khanapara and Rani campuses of the university. APW claims the decision to start a construction project worth around Rs60 crore was taken without the required approval of the Board of Management. It has further alleged that a consultancy firm from Delhi made presentations to university bodies even before its appointment was properly placed before the Board. APW has stated that although the project has not moved forward and the idea was opposed by teachers’ and employees’ bodies, the consultancy firm still raised a bill of more than Rs12 lakh in May 2024.
Another set of allegations mentioned in the affidavit relates to earlier accusations against Deputy Registrar Ratul Kumar Patowary. According to APW, Patowary faced departmental proceedings in 2020 relating to the appointment of two persons, including a relative of the then Vice Chancellor. APW says an inquiry report prepared by a former IAS officer had pointed to procedural lapses, yet the proceedings were closed within two days. The affidavit has also claimed that Patowary was found guilty by the Internal Complaints Committee in 2024 in a case of sexual misconduct but no action was taken by the Vice Chancellor. The matter, APW says, is now before the Gauhati High Court.
Some of the most serious allegations refer to the construction works in the Rani campus. APW has said a boundary wall project worth more than Rs46 lakh was divided into six separate parts, each below the Rs10 lakh limit which normally requires an open tender. Another work worth around Rs23 lakh was also broken into four parts and most of the work was given to one person. APW says the payments for these works were jointly processed by the former Registrar and the Deputy Registrar.
The affidavit has also alleged that a large building was constructed on land which did not legally belong to the university. APW has referred to land documents showing that the land at Rani came under government ownership and the transfer agreement between Assam Agricultural University and KKHSOU had mentioned this clearly. According to APW, the building was constructed without approval from any competent authority, raising questions about the motive behind such construction.
APW has requested the Governor to order a detailed inquiry into these matters. The organisation has said that the alleged incidents suggest deeper problems in the functioning of the university and may indicate misuse of public office. APW has also informed the Governor that it is ready to cooperate with any investigation and has attached various documents, including meeting minutes, correspondence, land papers, court documents and construction-related files, to support its claims.
