After teachers, ex-students of Presidency College accuse professor of sexual harassment

CHENNAI: After teachers, former students of Presidency College have accused an English department professor of sexual harassment.
Students have submitted in writing to the government that the professor often made ‘sexually-charged’ remarks in class and passed lewd comments on girls.
“When I approached him for advice on admission, he suggested in a vulgar tone that I meet him alone,” said a female student, one among the complainants.
Last March, teaching staff from the department levelled charges of sexual harassment against the same professor.
“The internal committee submitted a very partial report which did not include our written statements,” said one of the staff. Subsequently, she moved the Madras high court seeking a direction to conduct an impartial probe. Consequently, the professor was suspended. The court then directed the college to form a committee on the lines of Vishaka judgement.
“This committee too violated provisions of the Sexual Harassment Act, 2013. No committee sent a copy of its report to us. We have filed a fresh plea in the high court against the second committee’s report,” she added.
Meanwhile, the professor’s suspension period ended and he got reinstated at a government college in Ponneri in March.
Against this backdrop, the state government received a letter from the complainant’s address accusing top officials of sexual misconduct. She and her husband were called for an inquiry but the authorities realised that the letter was sent by someone else using the complainant’s name. Days after this, a charge memo was issued to the professor accused of sexual harassment. But he has questioned the rationale behind punishing him twice for the same complaint.
“She (complainant) worked for a private university but doesn’t hold a valid work experience certificate. I clarified it to the authorities based on their request. To cover this up, she has cooked up this story,” he said. The woman, however, said she had submitted all documents.
A senior official from the state higher education department, looking into the complaint, said the inquiry was underway and a ‘fair’ report would be submitted.