By Ayush Tiwari
Three years into the first term of the Narendra Modi government, several members of an outfit associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were appointed in key positions at the Indian Council for Historical Research in Delhi.
The appointment of members of the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana, or ABISY, was part of the Sangh Parivar’s stated objective of “rewriting” Indian history. The ABISY itself is housed in the Delhi office of the RSS.
While there is little doubt about the ideological transformation of ICHR led by handpicked members of the RSS outfit, what has gone hand in hand are allegations of corruption and financial misdemeanours.
The grave charges have forced the Indian government to take notice.
Earlier this month, the Central Vigilance Commission indicted four members of the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana for dubious financial dealings at the ICHR.
The CVC has advised the Ministry of Education to start penalty proceedings against the four, as well as 11 other current and former officials.
The problems at the institution came to light after two complaints alleging irregularities in its finances, appointments and promotions were filed with the Lokpal of India in 2022 and 2023, show government documents seen by Scroll.
This led to parallel investigations by the CVC and the Ministry of Education, including an internal audit of ICHR’s books by the ministry in 2023. The audit found financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 14.03 crore, including Rs 7.4 crore in unrecovered grants to scholars who had not submitted their work to the body. The audit flagged a “reckless spending spree” by senior officials – a striking example of which is the council’s decision to splurge Rs 30 lakh on the publication of a book edited by senior ICHR officials.
“There is no transparency in decision making and there is large-scale violation of GFR [General Financial Rules] and other rules and regulations,” concluded the audit, seen by Scroll.
The officials in the dock
On May 2, the Central Vigilance Commission advised the Ministry of Education to start penalty proceedings against 15 current and former officials of the ICHR.
This story was originally published in scroll.in. Read the full story here.
