Members of the JNU Teachers’ Association protest against the removal of Kavita Singh as the Dean, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Saturday. Singh is one of eight chairpersons and deans removed for objecting to mandatory attendance for students. Praveen Khanna
A day after a case of sexual harassment was filed against JNU professor Atul Kumar Johri on a complaint by seven of his students, police have served him a notice and asked him to join the investigation by Monday. “We have requested the JNU administration to provide CCTV footage of the lab. The women have also been called to record their statements under CrPC Section 164,” a police officer said. Johri had on Friday denied the allegations and resigned from two administrative posts he held. On Saturday, two more students levelled charges of harassment against him.
In the complaint, registered at Vasant Kunj police station, it has been alleged that Johri made “sexually coloured remarks” and if a woman objected, he would hold a grudge against her. Johri did not respond to calls and messages from The Indian Express. DCP (southwest) Milind Dumbere said, “The girl’s statement is yet to be recorded before the magistrate.” A case under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) has been registered.
Continuing their protest outside the Rector’s office and the Vasant Kunj police station, the JNU students’ union (JNUSU), in a statement, said Johri should immediately be suspended from administrative and academic duties. “He can continue to take classes and supervise lab students. This will give him an opportunity to contact and potentially intimidate the complainants,” the statement said. A delegation of students from the School of Life Sciences (SLS), JNUSU and the now disbanded Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment also met Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, the JNU administration Saturday, through Registrar Pramod Kumar, issued a statement saying that action would be taken against students who protested at the admin building when JNU officials were hearing a complaint of a student from SLS. “The JNU administration gave a patient hearing to their grievances and assured them of full support.
However, while the discussion was in progress with the women students, a group of slogan-shouting students entered the administration building — in gross violation of university rules and the Hon’ble Delhi High Court’s ruling of a ban on any form of protest within 100 metres of the administration building,” Kumar said. He also claimed that JNU officials were threatened by the students. “When the officials wanted to leave the venue, the crowd menacingly started sloganeering and obstructed their path. Security personnel escorted the officials out of the admin building with great difficulty,” the registrar said.