Latest news with #InternalComplaintCommittee
Hindustan Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Hold back salaries in colleges that don't file Internal Complaint Committee reports: Cuttack collector
Bhubaneswar: Cuttack collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde has ordered over 100 colleges in the district to suspend disbursement of salaries to their employees for failure to submit reports of the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) set up under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act. Cuttack collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde said principal who fail to submit ICC reports in the next 24 to 48 hours wpuld face suspension along with the withholding of staff salaries (X/CuttackDM) Shinde said the head of institutions that haven't complied with the mandate would be placed under suspension. No college will be allowed to delay compliance, especially in matters involving women's dignity and grievance redressal, he said Only some of the district's 210 institutions have complied with the directive. A July 21 notification stated that the salaries of the institution's staff would remain suspended until full compliance is ensured. 'Appropriate action may be taken against the heads of defaulting institutions by withholding the salary of the entire establishment of the defaulting offices,' the order said. It also threatened suspension of the principals in case of non-compliance. 'I don't have the exact number, but many colleges have not submitted their reports. If they fail to do so in the next 24 to 48 hours, they may also face suspension along with the withholding of their salaries,' said Shinde. Following the suicide of a 20-year-old woman at Fakir Mohan College in Balasore last week to protest official apathy over her complaints against a professor, the Odisha government directed all colleges and universities in Odisha to form Internal Complaints Committees within 24 hours, as mandated under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. There are over 700 government-run and aided colleges and 17 public universities in the state. They were also instructed to publicly display the names and contact details of ICC members for awareness. The state higher education department has also ordered universities and colleges to organise sensitisation workshops on the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, and the UGC Regulations, 2015, for both staff and students to enhance awareness and prevent such incidents. The government also launched the Shaktishree Programme to ensure the safety of girl students in higher education institutions, under which permanent 'Shaktishree Empowerment Cells' would be set up in every college and university, managed by a woman student (Shaktishree Saathi) and a woman faculty member with five working women as mentors visiting every three months. A Shaktishree mobile app will be launched to allow students to report complaints via text, audio, or video directly to the ICC chairperson, with an option to escalate unresolved issues to a local committee. A code of conduct for teachers and non-teaching staff, requiring annual online training on women's safety, gender sensitivity, and professional ethics, is also being planned.
News18
16-07-2025
- News18
Balasore Professor Asked Student For 'Favour', Told Her She Was 'No Child To Not Understand'
Last Updated: The accused professor in the Balasore student death case had reportedly told her that she was not a child to not understand what "favours" he needed, a report has claimed. As shocking details in the Balasore student death case continue to come to the fore, it has now been reported that Samira Kumar Sahoo, accused of sexually harassing the student, had told the woman that she was not a child to not understand what he needed. The student, in her complaint to the college's Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) on July 1, had mentioned that the professor had asked for a 'favour" from her, refusal of which invited mental harassment. According to a report with India Today, Minati Sethi, a member of the ICC, has revealed what the student told her when Sethi quizzed her about the professor's 'favour" statement. 'When she (the student) asked him what kind of favour, Sahoo allegedly said, 'You are not a child to not understand what favour I need'," Sethi said. 'However, we could not prove the allegation. It is very difficult to gather evidence on such charges," the report claimed Sethi said. According to the report, Sethi also said that the student was hurt as the professor had not allowed her to write a semester examination on June 30, and that 'she had taken it seriously". On July 1, the student had written a complaint letter to the ICC, alleging that the professor had asked her for a 'favour", refusal of which invited mental harassment. However, the father of the 20-year-old Odisha college student, who set herself ablaze over inaction on her sexual harassment complaint, held members of her college's ICC 'solely responsible" for his daughter's death. He also accused the members of preparing a 'biased report" in connection with her daughter's allegation, which led her to set herself on fire on the campus on July 12. Jayshree Mishra, the ICC coordinator of Fakir Mohan (Autonomous) College, said the panel recommended the removal of Samira Kumar Sahoo from the post of Head of Integrated BEd. However, the reason for seeking his removal was his 'strict approach" and not sexually harassing students, Mishra said, adding that the authorities did not take any steps on the recommendation. The deceased's father blamed the ICC, which, in its report, gave a clean chit to the accused head of the department. 'My daughter would have been alive today had the ICC done a proper probe into her allegation," the father said. The second-year Integrated student in Balasore set herself ablaze shortly after coming out of the principal's chamber, it was known. The student, who suffered 95 per cent burns, was first admitted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital and then shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for advanced treatment. She was declared dead hours after President Droupadi Murmu visited her at the burn unit ICU. The funeral of the woman was conducted before noon on Tuesday in the presence of thousands of people. The accused professor and the principal of the college were arrested in connection with the case. Meanwhile, the University Grants Commission has set up a four-member fact-finding team to look into the incident. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Palaniswami raises questions on implementation of Vishakha guidelines in a Chennai dental college
CHENNAI For the third day in succession, the AIADMK general secretary and leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Wednesday raised the issue of violence against women. This time, he referred to reports in sections of the media regarding a department head in a dental college in Chennai subjecting women staff and students to sexual harassment and the absence of any action against the person concerned. In a statement, he urged the DMK regime to explain its position with regard to the existence of the Internal Complaint Committee in the dental college. 'What has happened to the Vishakha Guidelines? Why has there been no action taken despite the lapse of one year after complaints were given by the affected students? On whose political pressure and intervention was there no action taken?' Mr. Palaniswami questioned, while adding that strong action should be taken against the guilty.
