Bhubaneswar, June 21: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today conducted raids on the residence of former director of Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Barada Kanta Mishra, in the city after booking him on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Mishra, a metallurgical engineer from NIT Rourkela, is posted as director of the recently established Indian Institute of Technology, Goa.
The CBI conducted raids at his office and paternal house at Surya Nagar in Bhubaneswar. The renowned 58-year-old academic is accused of indulging in the practice of receiving graft during his tenure as director of the IIMT Bhubaneswar between December 2005 and March 2017. CBI sources said Mishra was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly possessing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 1.14 crore.
Mishra did his masters from Wayne State University, Michigan, and later obtained his PhD from University of Utah, Salt Lake City in the USA. Mishra has also published more than 200 journals. He had been a member of the Public Accounting Committee on materials, mining and minerals of the department of science and technology from 2007 to 2015.
The CBI said Mishra's movable and immovable assets, which had been Rs 3.39 lakh in 2006, significantly increased to Rs 2.19 crore, involving his bank savings and properties, in 2016.
A CBI official said the academic had allegedly spent around Rs 1.31 crore under various heads, including purchase of flat, repayment of house and educational expenditure of his children. He said the discrepancy between his earning and savings was worth Rs 1.14 crore.
Later, the controller of administration, IMMT Bhubaneswar, B.D. Mahalik issued a news release denying any finical irregularities committed by the institute.
"Taking cognisance of the news clippings regarding alleged financial irregularities in the IMMT Bhubaneswar, it is hereby clarified that there is no such irregularity at the IMMT and the allegation is totally refuted. It is further clarified and affirmed that the IMMT strictly follows the prescribed Government of India/CSIR rules in toto for all official transactions/matters," said the news release.
