RSS-Linked Officials Named In Rs 14 Crore ICHR Scam: Report (image-X/ICHRMOE_1972)
New Delhi: The Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), the country’s apex government-funded historical research body, is under scrutiny after the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) recommended penalty proceedings against 15 current and former officials, including several individuals linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana (ABISY). The recommendation follows grave charges of financial irregularities, nepotism, and administrative lapses amounting to over Rs 14 crore, reported Scroll.in.
The CVC action comes in response to two complaints filed with the Lokpal in 2022 and 2023, prompting parallel probes by the Ministry of Education and the CVC itself. An internal audit ordered by the ministry in 2023 uncovered systemic violations, including unrecovered research grants, improper appointments, and reckless spending on publications, reported Scroll.in.
Individuals at the Centre
Among those named by the CVC are Saurabh Kumar Mishra, deputy director at ICHR, head of publicity at ABISY, and nephew of the chief of the RSS outfit, Balmukund Pandey; Om Jee Upadhyay, ICHR’s director of research and administration and its most powerful member secretary who often appears on TV debates defending the government.
Others include former member secretaries Umesh Ashok Kadam and Kumar Ratnam. Also indicted are officials like Jagdish Singh, deputy registrar of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Narendra Shukla, head of research and publication at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, who served on key ICHR committees.
The audit revealed that Rs 7.4 crore in grants were disbursed to scholars who failed to submit their work, with no recovery attempted. An additional Rs 1.09 crore remains unrecovered from the project directors of incomplete work. Other flagged expenditures include Rs 30.1 lakh spent on publishing India, the Mother of Democracy, a book edited by ICHR top officials Kadam and Chairman Raghuvendra Tanwar, significantly overshooting its sanctioned budget.
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Questions also surround the contract awarded to Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) to develop an e-office application. Despite a prior decision to partner with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the deal went to BECIL with 100% advance payment, violating financial norms. BECIL then subcontracted the work to Iforaa Pvt Ltd, a little-known company with RSS-linked business associates and no prior revenue apart from the ICHR deal.
Appointments and promotions at ICHR have also come under scrutiny. The audit highlighted irregular promotions of junior staff like Dharmendra Singh and Sachin Kumar Jha. The latter was allegedly promoted despite not meeting age and experience requirements and was known to be close to ABISY leadership.
A recruitment drive in 2018, conducted via a private firm without a proper tendering process, led to 28 appointments. The firm was paid Rs 89.18 lakh. The CVC has held three senior officials – Upadhyay, Dharmendra Singh, and then-member secretary Rajaneesh Kumar Shukla – responsible for bypassing government procurement rules.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh highlighted the issue and said, “The ICHR is not alone. Many prestigious institutions including top universities are being destroyed by RSS sympathisers with extremely dubious academic credentials. We shouldn’t be surprised really since this dubiousness starts from the very top.”
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While the CVC’s recommendations are not binding, ICHR Chairman Tanwar confirmed that disciplinary proceedings have commenced. Former officials, including Kadam and Ratnam, did not respond to requests for comment. Others, like Upadhyay, claimed ignorance of procedural lapses or cited lack of awareness as the cause.
Established in 1972, ICHR is meant to promote objective, scientific historical research. However, since 2017, a growing number of ABISY members, many with limited academic credentials, have been appointed to senior positions, aligning with the Sangh Parivar’s goal of “rewriting” Indian history.
