President Accepts Meghalaya Governor’s Resignation, Appoints Interim Governors

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday accepted the resignation of Meghalaya Governor V. Shanmuganathan, who put in his papers on Thursday following allegations of "inappropriate behaviour".

Shanmuganathan, who also held the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh, tendered his resignation to "ensure a free and impartial probe into the charges against him". On Wednesday, employees of the Raj Bhavan in Shillong sent a five-page letter signed by nearly 100 staffers to the Prime Minister's Office and the Rashtrapati Bhavan demanding recall of the Governor for what they alleged was "turning the Raj Bhavan into a Young Ladies Club".

According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan media statement, Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit will act as the the Governor of Meghalaya in the interim, while Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya was handed over the additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh. From the time Shanmuganathan took over, the employees alleged, they were going through "severe humiliation, mental stress and torture".

The protest letter by the Raj Bhavan staff came after an English daily report quoted a woman who accused the Governor of making advances by "hugging and kissing her". The woman was one of the seven candidates selected for an interview for the post of a Public Relations Officer at the Raj Bhavan.