NEW DELHI:
Sexual harassment charges against the
head of Delhi University’s
chemistry department has now attracted political interest. Sushmita Dev,
Congress MP from
Assam and president of All India Mahila Congress, has
written to the University
VC to intervene in the case and to provide justice to the complainant.
This comes after several sections of the university have blamed the varsity administration of not being serious on sexual harassment
charges after at least three teachers were accused of it in the past three months.
While the accusations against chemistry department HOD are under investigation — the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) — Dev has requested the VC to “expedite the process of impartial enquiry” against the professor.
Dev, an MP from Silchar in Assam, who is an alumnus of DU, wrote that cases of sexual harassment complaints require “utmost sensitivity and urgent action.”
Other senior DU teachers, like Executive Council member AK Bhagi wrote to the VC on Saturday, pointing that “the university is constantly failing in its duty to complete the inquiry and action in sexual harassment cases as per the provisions of the Act to deal with sexual harassment cases at work place.”
Bhagi also pointed out that administrators are allowed to continue on their positions despite charges against them.
“The complainant has been cooperative with the ICC and has given her side of the case. But the ICC is waiting for the accused to submit some documents before they come out with a result,” a witness in the case told TOI.
Responding to this, Chandra had said he was “procuring some important documents and would take a few days to submit them as evidence to the ICC.”
