Gujarat University suspends professor accused of sexual harassment, orders inquiry

AHMEDABAD: A Chemistry professor, Vashisht Bhatt, who has been accused of sexually harassing a doctorate student was suspended after the internal complaint committee of the Gujarat University found him guilty.
Based on the report of the internal complaint committee, a syndicate of the University which met on Wednesday suspended Bhatt.


The committee also ordered a department inquiry headed by a retired judge or a senior advocate.

The Gujarat University had ordered investigation of the assistant professor who was accused of sexually harassing a doctoral student. Bhatt’s had been barred entry to the university campus till the end of the probe

The student, who is pursuing her doctorate under Bhatt’s guidance, had complained to university authorities and to the university’s WDC that the professor had tried to sexually harass her at a hotel in Ahmedabad. All CCTV footages of the department where he worked and the hotel in question were examined, said a senior GU official.

The incident took place on March 20 and the woman student complained about Bhatt to WDC and the head of the department on March 23. The WDC has met the student and the accused professor twice to investigate the matter.

The committee was also asked to look into the allegations made by another woman student, also pursuing her doctorate under Bhatt’s guidance, who came forward and became a co-complainant in this matter. She too has accused the professor of having made sexual advances towards her.

The ICC during the hearing took statements of the two students and others who were involved. The committee also scanned all the video footages and even sought the CCTV of the hotel where the girl alleged that she was taken. The ICC found that the girl was being led to the hotel room which was enough to establish the fact. After going through the evidence, the committee found the professor guilty.

The committee has now ordered a departmental inquiry either by a retired judge or a senior counsel. The departmental inquiry will look into the behaviour of the professor from the day he was appointed. Moreover, the committee will also examine if the professor was involved in other such incidents or not.