Gangtok: Braja Bandhu Mishra, who until recently was the Finance Officer of Tezpur University, had become a key figure in student protests over alleged financial irregularities on campus.
On November 30, he resigned from his post, but in the backdrop he was already being recruited by Sikkim University as the Officer on Special Duty to the SU Vice-Chancellor, Shantanu Kumar Swain.
Mishra stopped attending office on September 22, just a day after protests erupted on the Tezpur University campus. For more than two months, while allegations intensified and students demanded transparency, the Finance Officer remained absent.
On October 19, Sikkim University issued an advertisement inviting applications for the post of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Vice-Chancellor. The deadline for applications was November 7, and by November 11 Mishra was already being interviewed.
From November 12 to November 18, Sikkim University’s Executive Council (EC) approved Mishra’s appointment entirely through email circulation. Not a single EC member raised a question about the candidate’s background, the timing of his application, or the controversies unfolding in Tezpur.
Mishra is a retired Finance Officer at Level 14, with deep familiarity with Government of India financial rules and experience in accounts, audits, purchases, establishment matters, and contracts. His post as an OSD would carry administrative authority and financial oversight, but without the burden or scrutiny of a formal Finance Officer’s appointment.
In Sikkim University, the Finance Officer and Internal Audit Officer posts had remained vacant for a very long time. The current Finance Officer is a professor of commerce, and the current registrar in-charge is also a professor who was given additional responsibilities in the absence of a regular registrar.
Instead of addressing these critical vacancies through transparent recruitment, the administration opted to create the OSD post, citing an “urgent requirement” in financial administration.
In an exclusive conversation, Sikkim University Vice-Chancellor Shantanu Kumar Swain defended the appointment.
Swain said, “There was a requirement, we made an appointment on a contract basis, his appointment is for the welfare of Sikkim University. We didn’t breach any principle; all processes were followed in the interest of the University, hence we appointed him. My only aim is to improve the status of the University. There have been no official allegations against him. If Tezpur University communicates, we will look into that. But so far, we have not received anything from Tezpur University supporting the allegations against Mishra.”
The VC claimed his lack of knowledge in university finance management urged him to appoint the OSD on a contractual basis—someone with finance experience for his support, someone with experience in a Central University. “The appointment is contractual and it is only for the time being,” said Swain. Swain further defended, “What he has done in some other university is not our concern; we hired him to make our university better. If there was something against him, then he could have been arrested or charged. But there is nothing against him. We had a requirement, so we will fill up the post.”
Further, in contractual appointments, there is no detailed police verification, but after appointment his antecedents—where and how he has worked before—will be verified by the University.
A source in Sikkim University revealed, “When the verification is done and they find pending cases against him or if he has hidden them, then the University has a stake to question. Now that his case has been highlighted on social media, maybe he will reconsider his appointment on moral grounds. He has joined us, but his appointment notification has not been issued yet.”
An SU official requesting anonymity shared, “The current Finance Officer in Sikkim University is a professor of commerce. The process for recruitment of a Finance Officer has already been advertised, but it is not for a regular post. Even the registrar currently is a professor who is only an in-charge in the absence of a regular registrar. Rather than appointing the OSD on a contractual basis, the VC should have expedited the process of regular appointments such as the Finance Officer and Registrar. OSD is not a sanctioned post; it is more like the post of an advisor to the VC.”
A Sikkim University source revealed, “The VC will defend the appointment as the due process for appointment has been followed. But the only concern here is that the selected individual has a tainted background. He may not have been convicted, but there are allegations against him. Mishra being absent from Tezpur University was something that Sikkim University officials were not aware of. When he joined Sikkim University on December 1, only then did media reports against him start circulating.”
Yet another SU official shared, “The taint against the OSD is not something he has been charged with; it is only on social media. But if any official communication on the allegations against him comes to light, then we will have to abide by the allegation even if Mishra was selected by Sikkim University. We cannot defend him, even if he were selected. The University may take action if there is official communication.”
In the past 15 years, Mishra has worked as Finance Officer in three to four Central Universities.
Also Read: Assam: Children most at risk as study exposes rabies threat in tea estates