A delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders leaves after holding talks with West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi over the attack on university teachers.
IANS/New Delhi
The Human Resource Development ministry yesterday asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to look into the case of alleged sexual harassment of a research scholar by a St Stephen’s College lecturer.
The watchdog also asked for an impartial inquiry by the institute’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
“The HRD ministry decided to step in the wake of the girl expressing apprehensions about the action being taken by the institute’s ICC,” an official said.
The ministry had earlier decided against intervening saying it was being handled by the ICC according to the Supreme Court guidelines.
In a case lodged on June 19, the doctoral student said Satish Kumar, an assistant professor and the college’s bursar, had “sexually assaulted” her on October 15, 2013, inside a laboratory.
The Delhi High Court on July 3 put the arrest of Satish Kumar on hold till August 17. The girl had also released audio clips wherein principal Valson Thampu allegedly asked her to withdraw her complaint. She had also demanded Thampu’s resignation. In another incident involving a leading academic institution, West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi has called for talks after Calcutta University (CU) vice chancellor Suranjan Das demanded action in the assault on university teachers.
Das, who along with a section of teaching and non-teaching staff were assaulted on Wednesday allegedly by members of the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), on Friday said it would be ‘untenable’ for him to continue if the state government did not take action.
“The vice-chancellor has expressed his opinion. The students and teachers should sit together and devise means to restore normalcy. The prime motive of teachers in the university is to teach and students to learn so let there be an atmosphere of teaching and learning,” Tripathi said in Kolkata.
Das, who initially had denied the assault, submitted a confidential report to Education Minister Partha Chatterjee giving a detailed account of the “assault, the assaulters and who led the assault.”
An acclaimed academic, Das who is set to take over as the vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University, made the volte-face on Thursday after the teaching fraternity along with eminent personalities hit the streets in protests against the assault and slamming him for the silence.
The issue has also taken a political colour with the opposition Left Front suggesting Chatterjee must step down as the education minister. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president Rahul Sinha said he would approach the governor over the issue.
“If the minister can’t deliver or feels he cannot ensure the education institutions are free from unruly elements, then he should better leave the job,” Left Front chairman Biman Bose said.
