SHILLONG: Meghalaya Raj Bhavan was never in the news for wrong reasons in such a proportion.
The sexual harassment scandal and the subsequent protests of 100 Raj Bhavan employees have brought to the fore how the Raj Bhavan has been functioning ever since V. Shanmuganathan assumed charge on May 20, 2015.
However, it is yet to be known as to what led the Governor to remove M.S Rao, the Principal Secretary in charge Governor’s Secretariat, last September and to bring in H M Shangpliang in his place.
When asked, Rao admitted that he was removed by the Governor, but did not give the reason for his removal as he said it was not proper for him to speak on the matter. Sources said he was removed all of a sudden and it was carried out overnight.
However, Rao said the Governor had the discretion to choose whomever he wanted.
Rao, who served Raj Bhavan for over four years under varied Meghalaya Governors like R.S Mooshahary, K.K Paul and briefly with Keshari Nath Tripathi admitted that there were no controversies under them.
Mooshahary anguished
Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary, who was the governor of Meghalaya between July 2008 and June 2013, expressed anguish over the episode that unfolded at Raj Bhavan and said it would take time to rebuild the lost dignity.
“Every right minded person will perceive the incident as an extreme case of misconduct. Whether he is a governor or not, no man has the right to behave like this with women. I have come to know that this has been going on for some months, immediately after he (Shanmuganathan) assumed charge and this is not a one-of instance. He can’t say it is a momentary passion. It was a premeditated and calculated misconduct. He was taking advantage of people who wanted a job or some sort of assistance. It is a case of gross exploitation, particularly of young girls,” he said.
On how things have changed in the State since the time he left the Governor’s house, Mooshahary said it was not up to him to judge that but added, “I feel extremely sad that the dignity of the high office has been compromised to a great extent. It is sad and we should know what kind of people are being elected to high positions without verifying their background. Of course, one cannot say by the look of a person how his character would be. It is only after assuming the office of power that their true character is revealed. This is not the way someone should behave.”
