STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam government has placed three senior officers of the Assam Finance Service (AFS) under immediate suspension for alleged departmental negligence linked to a delayed inquiry in the Pension Directorate.
The suspended officers are Nikunjalal Das, Senior Financial Adviser (Industries, Commerce & Public Enterprises Department); Jitul Borah, Senior Financial Adviser (Welfare of Minorities & Development); and Utpal Kumar Misra, Director (Finance), Health and Family Welfare Department. All three were holding additional charge as Joint Director of Pension at different points.
According to official orders issued on January 13, 2026, by the Finance Department in the name of the Governor of Assam, the officers failed to discharge their responsibilities as Inquiry Officers in a departmental proceeding, leading to inordinate delays.
The three officers were appointed between August and October 2025 to conduct a departmental inquiry against Mamtaz Begum, a Junior Assistant (U/S) in the Pension Directorate, who is facing allegations of irregularities. However, the inquiry reportedly remained stalled for 26 to 48 days, with no effective steps taken to initiate or advance the proceedings. The officers later sought relief from the assignment, citing additional charges and promotion-related reasons.
The government has viewed this inaction as a serious lapse, amounting to violation of the Assam Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1965, particularly failure to discharge official duties and lack of devotion to duty.
The officers have been suspended under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964. The suspension will continue until the completion of departmental proceedings. During this period, they will receive subsistence allowance, subject to submission of a non-employment certificate. Their headquarters will remain at their last place of posting.
Mamtaz Begum is facing departmental action following a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (VAC), Assam case. She was reportedly caught in a bribery trap in February 2024 at the Pension Directorate premises. While departmental proceedings were initiated subsequently, delays in the inquiry process prompted the government’s strict action against the senior officers concerned. The suspended officers will remain under suspension pending the outcome of departmental proceedings. The inquiry against Begum is ongoing, and its findings will determine further action.
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