PATNA: The Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU), Darbhanga, has initiated an inquiry against an assistant professor of its Postgraduate Hindi department for allegedly trying to fraternise with female students and sending them lewd messages on cell phones.
“The inquiry was ordered after three students, including two girls, recently approached the vice-chancellor and gave him a written complaint, alleging that the assistant professor treats female students inappropriately and sends them lewd text messages on cell phones,” the University registrar Dr Mushtaque Ahmad told TOI over phone on Wednesday.
“The matter has already been referred to the 9-member internal complaints committee (ICC), constituted as per the guidelines issued by the UGC under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. This high-powered committee will investigate all the charges levelled against the assistant professor by the aggrieved students,” Dr Ahmad told this newspaper. He said the university would take appropriate action against the assistant professor if the charges are found true in the inquiry.
In their complaint to the vice-chancellor, the students also alleged that the assistant professor misbehaved with some male students and abused them, besides threatening them with harming their careers, the varsity registrar said.
Sources said, the students have also submitted some audio and video clips to the university authorities to prove that the said assistant professors made calls to female students, even in night hours, to chat with them.
“As the assistant professor threatens to finish our careers if we do not agree to his terms, we fear coming to attend the classes because of his absurd behavior,” the students have alleged in their complaint to the vice-chancellor.
