Alumni slam NLSIU-Bengaluru over handling of sexual abuse

BENGALURU: The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, drew flak for allegedly fining two student facilitators for speaking against sexual harassment allegedly perpetrated by a faculty mem­ber of the univer­sity.

In May, NLSIU had fined the two facilitators after they had discussed details of sexual harassment that had been narrated to them by the victim, who is not a student of NLSIU. The details of the harassment had been shared over e-mail and through a private Facebook group. Following this, NLSIU had taken action against the two, despite explicit permission given to them by the victim to share details, citing a violation of the university’s disciplinary rules and calling the act a “major misconduct”. 

The two female students, who are also facilitators appointed under the university’s Code to Combat Sexual Harassment, were asked to issue a public apology for discussing the issue or pay a fine. The two refused to tender an apology and paid a fine of Rs 5,000 each to the university. The university had also removed them as facilitators for Sexual Harassment Inquiry Committee (SHARIC) following the incident.

In solidarity with the two students, 200 alumni from the university have written an open letter to the university con­d­e­mning the students’ punishment. “We condemn NLSIU’s finding that the student facilitators are guilty of ‘major misconduct’,” the letter read. 

‘University should answer our questions’

It has also come to our attention that the student facilitators have been barred from sharing the order of the Disciplinary Matters Advisory Review and Investigation Committee (DARIC), so we are unable to even peruse the logic and reasoning of the committee,” the letter read.

The letter had also gone viral on Twitter with one of the alumni from the university telling TNIE that they disapproved the way the university was handling the issue. “A major reason behind the open letter is that we would like the university to answer our questions.

We disagree with the secretive manner in which action has been taken against the students,” Mukta Joshi told TNIE. While there was no response from the university authorities despite multiple attempts to reach them, Joshi said the students had written an appeal to the university’s executive council over the issue earlier this week.