The Dhrupad Sansthan, an international residential music school here, has said it instituted an internal complaints committee (ICC) to inquire into allegations of sexual harassment by former students against Akhilesh Gundecha, a music teacher who has recused himself from the organisation’s activities.
“We will follow whatever the committee says,” Umakant Gundecha, brother of Mr. Akhilesh and chairman of the organisation which promotes the ancient style of Hindustani classical music, told The Hindu. “We have formed the committee only now which has begun its proceedings. It wasn’t there earlier.”
When asked if the school, on the outskirts of Bhopal, had decided to shut or suspend classes, Mr. Umakant said, “There were no classes on Saturday. But the sansthan is open and students are here. And classes haven’t been formally suspended.”
On Saturday, musician and author T.M. Krishna had asked in a Facebook post, “It would be fair to assume that they have more than 10 employees, so why was an ICC not already in place?” Further, he demanded Mr. Umakant should recuse himself from chairmanship as remaining at the helm during the inquiry against his brother represented a conflict of interest.
“The allegations are not against me,” Mr. Umakant responded. “And if the committee asks me to resign, I’ll step down.”
A letter issued by the organisation, accredited by UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee, said the ICC was set up in compliance with Supreme Court guidelines and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.
The committee’s members are Anshu Vaish, retired bureaucrat, Mona Dikshit, social activist, M.S. Chandravat, retired District and Sessions Judge, and Sushma Iyengar, social activist.
Meanwhile, Ratibad police station incharge Sudesh Tiwari said they had not received any complaints yet from survivors or witnesses. Additional Director General of Police Upendra Jain has exhorted them to come forward and approach the police.
Former students have also levelled similar charges on Facebook against late Ramakant Gundecha, part of the Gundecha Brothers duo with Mr. Umakant. A Facebook post by a woman accused Mr. Akhilesh and Mr. Ramakant of psychological, physical and sexual abuses for years. Another woman in a post accused Mr. Ramakant of sending her messages about wanting to get intimate.
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