Before resignation under sexual harassment cloud, Governor held interviews, promoted PA

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 wishtobeidentified,claimedthat Shanmuganathan personally contacted more than one of them over phone, calling for “one-toone 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

CENTRE MADE HIM GO

His resignation has been accepted by the President