JNU students allege harassment, corruption by professor

A group of female students of Jawaharlal Nehru University have levelled allegations of corruption and sexual harassment against a professor at the School of Life Sciences.This comes after a 26-year-old PhD student went missing after she allegedly sent an email to the professor alleging that she had been harassed by him.

The scholar, who was reported missing from JNU campus four days ago, was found on Thursday, and the Delhi Police said they have asked the woman to appear before the investigating team and record her statement.

A case of kidnapping was registered after her parents filed a missing person’s complaint at the Vasant Kunj North police station on March 13, two days after she allegedly went missing and her cellphone was switched off.

“She told us she was safe and fine. We will record her statement before a magistrate to ascertain if she was abducted and confined somewhere against her will. If she will claim that she went on her own wish, we will approach the court concerned for quashing the FIR,” said Milind Dumbere, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (southwest).

A resident of Shipra Hostel, the scholar is in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Asked about unconfirmed reports being circulated on social media that the woman has approached the Allahabad High Court seeking protection, the DCP said he was not aware of it and the woman has not filed any such complaint with the police.

DCP Dumbere also refused to comment on an email, purportedly composed and sent to her JNU professor allegedly accusing him of harassment. In the email to the professor, she allegedly called him “characterless”, telling him that a “particular pattern by which you make every girl feel that she is worthless.”

Following this, a group of current and ex-students came forward alleging that the teacher in question “makes sexually coloured remarks, open demands for sex and comments on the figure of almost every girl”

“If a girl objects, he holds a grudge against her.If the girl objects he takes all the grudges possible and threaten the girls of ruining their research career (sic.),” reads a joint statement by around nine students, including two ex-students.

They have also raised allegations of corruption against the professor and said that a PhD seat was allotted to a JNU official’s wife without due process.The official, however, rubbished the allegations and said that his wife had been selected by a duly appointed panel after completing all procedure.

The teacher in question could not be reached for comments, but rector I, Chintamani Mohapatra said that as far as he knew, no written complaint against the professor had been received by the administration. “I don’t think it is even newsworthy until something comes in writing. So many kinds of allegations are floating around,” he said.