DU college professor booked for sexual harassment of minor student likely to lose job

Indian Express

17 hours ago

A professor from a Delhi University (DU) college, booked earlier this year for allegedly sexually harassing and abusing a minor student, may now be terminated from service with the college's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), which has been probing the matter since last December, recommending his dismissal.
The recommendation is currently under consideration by the Vice-Chancellor, The Indian Express has learnt.
Sources at DU said the process of termination of the professor – booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) – is in motion.
'The ICC has recommended that the professor be removed. The final nod is awaited from the Vice-Chancellor. Before making a decision, the administration has said that the case documents should be studied in detail,' said a senior DU official.
The survivor, a minor student, had submitted a complaint to the ICC in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and assault. According to official DU sources, while its probe was at the preliminary stage, the ICC recommended that the accused be kept off campus and barred from interacting with students until the inquiry was completed.
Earlier this year, the Delhi Police had booked the professor. A senior police officer had told The Indian Express in May, 'He has not been arrested yet, but the police will soon call him in for questioning.' Officers said the college administration has been asked to provide all details related to the professor.
This January, after day-long protests by student bodies on the campus, the professor had stepped down from his administrative responsibilities. In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor, he had written, 'Due to these allegations, I am finding it extremely challenging to continue my additional duties.' The same month, the college had confirmed that he had been suspended for six weeks.
The principal of the college declined to respond to queries from The Indian Express.
This case adds to a troubling pattern of allegations against the same professor. It is learnt that three prior complaints of misconduct had been filed against him with the ICC in 2016, 2020, and 2023.
'Each time, the complaints were buried. No action was taken… There was always pressure not to escalate,' said an official. Student groups, meanwhile, have alleged institutional negligence in dealing with repeated complaints against the professor.