Kolkata, Jan 5: Allegations of irregularities have surfaced regarding appointments to non-academic and administrative permanent posts at Visva-Bharati University, the central university founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and located in Santiniketan, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.

Sources within the university stated on Monday that several job applicants have lodged complaints via email with the Chancellor of the university, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC). Visva-Bharati is the only central university in the country where the Prime Minister serves as Chancellor.

According to the complainants, the final merit list for non-academic and administrative permanent positions was not uploaded on the university’s official website. They alleged that appointment letters were instead issued through personal email IDs, bypassing established recruitment procedures. While details of appointments to several non-academic posts, including Registrar, Director of Studies and Director of the Publication Division, were made public, no information regarding the merit list for Deputy Registrar and Assistant Registrar (General) posts has been disclosed so far.

The applicants further claimed that although the written examination was conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) in accordance with directives issued by the Ministry of Education, the agency has not published the preliminary results on its website. This, they argued, raises serious questions about how Visva-Bharati authorities published the final professional merit list on October 27, 2025.

On these grounds, the candidates have alleged that the merit list is legally untenable and suffers from procedural lapses.

A senior university official, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that, unlike during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarti — when recruitment processes were transparent — a “malicious group” is now influencing appointments. “Relatively unqualified candidates are being given opportunities by bypassing rules, which has raised serious concerns about the integrity of recent appointments,” the official claimed.

However, Visva-Bharati authorities have categorically denied the allegations. According to sources, the Registrar of the university, in a written reply to the Ministry of Education dated January 1, 2026, stated that all eligible candidates were selected strictly in accordance with rules outlined in the recruitment notification issued on April 17, 2023. The appointments were also approved by the university’s Executive Council on December 5, based on the recommendations of the duly constituted selection committee.

Visva-Bharati’s Public Relations Officer, Atig Ghosh, told media persons, “The recruitment has been carried out in complete compliance with all rules and regulations. The allegations made by the complainants are entirely baseless.”

Mumbai: A disturbing incident of communal harassment and criminal intimidation has come to light at a D-Mart outlet in the Yashwant Nagar area of Virar, which is an hour’s drive away from Mumbai. A local Muslim woman, a resident of Nalasopara West, has alleged that she was barred from entry and threatened with rape because she was wearing a hijab.

According to the victim’s testimony in a viral video, the confrontation began when she was shopping at the retail chain. She alleges that individuals at the store made derogatory remarks about her attire, telling her to ‘stay back’ because she is a Muslim.

The situation escalated when a group of men reportedly threatened her with sexual assault, stating, “You are Muslims, get out, we will rape you”. The victim expressed deep distress over the encounter, noting that the verbal abuse was specifically tied to her religious identity and her choice to wear the hijab.

The victim reported major issues when she first attempted to seek justice. She stated that she remained at the police station until 12:30 am on the night of the incident, but no First Information Report (FIR) was registered at that time.

Following the delay, the victim released a video documenting her ordeal, which quickly went viral on social media platforms like. The video caught the attention of social activist Ahmed Memon, who accompanied the victim back to the police station to ensure legal action was taken.

Memon confirmed that after discussions with the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Senior Police Inspector (PI), the authorities have now formally accepted the complaint and an application for further legal action has been filed.

In the wake of the public outcry and the intervention by local activists, the management of the Virar D-Mart has reportedly tendered an apology to the victim for the incident. Ahmed Memon has called for communal harmony and urged the community to stand together against such discrimination, while the police have assured a thorough inquiry into the conduct of the store’s staff and the individuals involved.

Mumbai, Jan 5: The Indian benchmark indices traded flat with a mild negative bias on Monday over losses in IT stocks and the latest US-Venezuela tensions.

Even as Indian companies showed signs of improving quarterly earnings, optimism was blunted by caution over the implications of US military action in Venezuela.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex eased 62 points, or 0.07 per cent to 85,699 and Nifty gained 9 points, or 0.03 per cent to 26,319.

Main broad-cap indices performed almost in line with benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 unchanged, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 gained 0.36 per cent.

ONGC and SBI were among major gainers on the Nifty. Among sectoral gainers, Nifty IT was the major loser, down 1.41 per cent. In Nifty media, metal and PSU sectors were the major gainers up 0.84 per cent, up 0.70 per cent and 0.79 per cent, respectively.

Immediate support lies at 26,150–26,200 zone, and resistance placed at 26,450–26,500 zone, market watchers said.

Analysts said that major geopolitical events at the start of 2026 could have serious consequences and could affect the market.

The US action in Venezuela could destabilise global geopolitics. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to continue, Iranian protests may worsen and the Iranian regime may react in light of US President Donald Trump’s threat of intervention, and China may use the opportunity to annex Taiwan, they said.

A positive for India from the Venezuelan crisis would be medium to long-term bearish impact for crude, they said.

The market may remain resilient in the short term due to its all-time high and bullish momentum. The Bank Nifty is strong due to strong credit growth, they said, adding that Q3 banking and financial results would be impressive.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index added 1.07 per cent, and Shenzhen gained 1.87 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei added 2.557 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index eased 0.12 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 2.87 per cent.

The US markets were mostly in the green zone on the last trading day even as Nasdaq lost 0.03 per cent. The S&P 500 gained 0.19 per cent, and the Dow moved up 0.66 per cent.

On January 2, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 290 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 677 crore.