The CBI has booked Nagaland University Senior Professor Chitta Ranjan Deb for alleged bribery and corruption related to scientific equipment tenders. Searches in Assam, Nagaland, and Tripura revealed incriminating documents. The accused reportedly abused his position for personal gains, causing loss to the central university in Nagaland.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a corruption case against a senior professor of Nagaland University for allegedly accepting bribes and manipulating tenders for personal gain. The accused, Dr. Chitta Ranjan Deb, currently serves as Senior Professor and Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Dean of the School of Sciences, and is affiliated with the Department of Botany at the central university.
According to a CBI press release issued on Tuesday, the agency filed the FIR on Saturday, July 12, following credible allegations of corrupt practices against Deb. The professor is accused of using his influential position to award tenders for scientific equipment and consumables to select companies in exchange for bribes. These irregularities, the CBI claims, were committed with the predetermined intention of causing wrongful loss to Nagaland University and corresponding personal benefit to Deb.
“There are serious allegations that Professor Deb indulged in illegal practices by favouring certain bidders or companies in the awarding of supply orders,” said an official familiar with the investigation. “These favours were allegedly made in return for bribes, with evidence pointing to a systemic pattern of corruption.”
To gather evidence, the CBI conducted simultaneous search operations at multiple locations, including Jorhat in Assam, Lumani in Nagaland, and Agartala in Tripura. These operations, conducted on and after July 12, reportedly led to the recovery of crucial documents from the accused’s office and from various bidders involved in the tenders. These documents include records of financial transactions, tender papers, and other potentially incriminating materials.
Dr. Chitta Ranjan Deb, aged 57, is a native of Tripura and has been associated with Nagaland University since August 1997, when he joined as a lecturer. Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become a senior faculty member and took on key administrative roles in the university. His academic background includes a graduation from Tripura University, a postgraduate degree in 1994, and a PhD awarded in 2000 from the North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong.
He is also a member of several national and international academic organisations, highlighting his previously respected stature in the academic community. However, the recent CBI case has cast a shadow on his reputation and the integrity of Nagaland University’s tendering process.
Nagaland University is the 13th Central University in India and the only central university in the state of Nagaland. Established on September 6, 1994, it has jurisdiction over the entire state, with 76 colleges currently affiliated with it. The university’s role in imparting higher education in the region is significant, making the allegations against such a senior academic figure especially concerning.
University officials have yet to release a formal statement in response to the CBI action. However, internal sources indicate that the administration is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and will take necessary disciplinary action based on the outcome.
Meanwhile, the CBI continues its investigation to unearth the full scale of the alleged corruption. Sources suggest that more people could come under the scanner in connection with the rigged tenders, particularly those who may have played intermediary roles in facilitating bribes.
The case has sparked widespread concern within academic and administrative circles, especially at a time when transparency and accountability in public institutions are under increasing scrutiny. The central probe agency is expected to summon Deb for interrogation in the coming days, and further legal proceedings will follow depending on the evidence collected.
| Also Read: PM Modi likely to inaugurate new Mizoram railway line |
This is not the first time the CBI has intervened in university-related corruption cases, but the prominence of the accused and the scale of the alleged financial misconduct make this a matter of national attention. If proven, the charges against Dr. Deb could lead to criminal prosecution and long-term ramifications for Nagaland University’s credibility and governance structure.
