Hiring irregularities at Visva-Bharati, alleges email to PM Modi
Kolkata, Jan 5 (IANS): Allegations of irregularities have surfaced regarding appointments to non-academic and administrative permanent posts at Visva-Bharati University, the central university founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and located in Santiniketan, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.
Sources within the university stated on Monday that several job applicants have lodged complaints via email with the Chancellor of the university, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC). Visva-Bharati is the only central university in the country where the Prime Minister serves as Chancellor.
According to the complainants, the final merit list for non-academic and administrative permanent positions was not uploaded on the university’s official website. They alleged that appointment letters were instead issued through personal email IDs, bypassing established recruitment procedures. While details of appointments to several non-academic posts, including Registrar, Director of Studies and Director of the Publication Division, were made public, no information regarding the merit list for Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar (General) posts has been disclosed so far.
The applicants further claimed that although the written examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in accordance with directives issued by the Ministry of Education, the agency has not published the preliminary results on its website. This, they argued, raises serious questions about how Visva-Bharati authorities published the final professional merit list on October 27, 2025.
On these grounds, the candidates have alleged that the merit list is legally untenable and suffers from procedural lapses.
A senior university official, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that, unlike during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarti -- when recruitment processes were transparent -- a “malicious group” is now influencing appointments. “Relatively unqualified candidates are being given opportunities by bypassing rules, which has raised serious concerns about the integrity of recent appointments,” the official claimed.
However, Visva-Bharati authorities have categorically denied the allegations. According to sources, the Registrar of the university, in a written reply to the Ministry of Education dated January 1, 2026, stated that all eligible candidates were selected strictly in accordance with rules outlined in the recruitment notification issued on April 17, 2023. The appointments were also approved by the university’s Executive Council on December 5, based on the recommendations of the duly constituted selection committee.
Visva-Bharati’s Public Relations Officer, Atig Ghosh, told media persons, “The recruitment has been carried out in complete compliance with all rules and regulations. The allegations made by the complainants are entirely baseless.”
