Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said there was no “documentary evidence” to start an inquiry into the molestation allegations against former Meghalaya governor V Shanmuganathan. “As of now, there is nothing in the form of documentary evidence. Nothing is in our hands [central government],” he told IANS.
Rijiju, however, added that Shanmuganathan had resigned on “moral grounds”. Shanmuganathan had resigned on January 26 following allegations that he had molested a woman. He, however, had said that he had put in his papers on “health grounds”. President Pranab Mukherjee accepted the Meghalaya governor’s resignation on Friday.
Since no criminal proceedings can be initiated against a governor or the president during their term in office as per the Constitution, Shanmuganathan was asked to resign. Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had said that he was in touch with the Centre regarding the controversy.
Three days after the allegations surfaced, around 100 employees of the Shillong Raj Bhavan had written to the president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Shanmuganathan’s removal. They had also alleged that the 68-year-old, a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist from Tamil Nadu, had turned the office into a “young ladies club” and compromised the security of the Raj Bhavan.
The Civil Society Women Organisation and Thma u Rangli launched a signature campaign and protested outside the Shillong Raj Bhavan on Thursday, demanding his immediate dismissal.
Shanmuganathan had allegedly molested a job aspirant when she had met him for an interview on December 8 last year. The matter came to light on January 23 when the complainant had told The Highland Post that the governor allegedly “hugged and kissed her”.
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