Thma u Rangli- Juli (TUR), a local body launched a signature campaign where over 300 concerned citizens signed pleading the removal of the Meghalaya governor in front of Raj Bhawan Shillong Meghalaya. The petition will later be sent to the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee.
The protest continued on Thursday started after a female candidate accused the Governor of Meghalaya, Mr V Shanmuganathan, of harassing her when she appeared for a recent interview in Raj Bhawan. The incident came in limelight after a local newspaper published the news.
It is believed that an aspiring female, who had applied for a job as a PRO in the Raj Bhawan’s secretariat, allegedly said that the governor personally invited her to come for an interview in the evening where he inappropriately behaved with her. Initially, she was surprised over the governor personally calling her in the evening and later sending a message from to confirm the meeting.
68-year-old Shanmuganathan, who is a veteran RSS activist from Tamil Nadu, joined as the Governor of Meghalaya on May 20, 2015. He was also given additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh on September 16, 2016, after JP Rajkhowa was removed. He was also in charge of Manipur from September 2015 to August 2016.
The mobile number through which he contacted the victim is still with her. However, sources close to the victim rule out any case of molestation and said that the Governor’s way of meeting her was over friendly and unprofessional.
While Shanmuganathan is currently in Itanagar because he also holds the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh, he could not be contacted despite several attempts.
On the other hand, the Governor, while talking to The Shillong Times, denied all allegations of physical overtures and inappropriately conduct by the woman candidate and was quoted as saying: “No it is not right all these things are not right. We have selected only one person and some people were not selected and because they were not selected they should not say all these things.”
Meanwhile, 98 employees of the Raj Bhavan have written to the Prime Minister and the President of India demanding an immediate removal of Meghalaya Governor V Shanmuganathan for hampering the dignity of Raj Bhawan.
The letter also stated that the Raj Bhavan under the Governor has become a place where young ladies come and go at will with direct orders from the Governor. The security of the Governor’s house is also being seriously compromised. It is well known that many of these ladies have direct access to his bedroom as well.
