New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) on Sunday approached the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) seeking its intervention in the case of alleged sexual harassment of a group of women students by a professor of the university's School of Life Sciences (SLS).
"As it was Sunday, the staff was not available, but we did get receiving letter without the stamp. Moreover, we will approach the Commission on Monday to submit official memo," JNUSU president Geeta Kumar said.
Former president of JNU Teachers' Association said that Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and his team may hide behind their precious "Lakshman Rekha" of 100-m but they cannot escape the anger and the questions of the JNU community.
"Since Saturday, the entire university has been in turmoil and anxiety over the nine women students, who have lodged police complaints, and now the registrar is invoking the 100 metre Delhi High Court order to target the handful of women students, who after having been out of the contact of the complainants for close to an hour went into the V-C's castle to rescue the complainants," Kumari added.
The JNUSU president further said that some complainants contacted V-C because of their anxiety about their research supervisor, as they do not wish to continue working under the supervision of professor Atul Johri.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police have asked the professor to be present on Monday for the questioning.
The accused professor had, on Saturday, resigned from two administrative posts in JNU – the director of the Human Resources Development Centre (HRDC) and the director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) - on "moral grounds", but claimed that the allegation against him was a "motivated move" by students with vested interests.
Geeta Kumari on Sunday said, "It is more than 36 hours since the FIR was filed but still no action has been taken against him. He continues to enjoy his privileges in the campus. The JNU administration has not even discharged him from his academic duties."
"As of now, nine students have come forward to report the harassment and many former students have been calling us to share their experiences of sexual harassment while working under him," Kumari further claimed.
Hitting out at the university administration, the students' body alleged: "By promising to take up investigation through Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), the administration has clearly shown its intention to provide safe passage to the accused professor." The students also accused police of delaying action in the case.