New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) JNU unit on Monday staged a protest on the campus and burnt effigies of the university’s Internal Committee (IC) and a professor accused of sexual harassment, alleging that the case was being delayed due to political influence.
According to an ABVP press release, several female students have levelled serious allegations of sexual harassment against a JNU professor, who is also a Congress MP. The complaints have been submitted to the university’s Internal Committee, and the matter is under process.
The student organisation claimed that despite the gravity of the allegations, no concrete action has been taken so far.
ABVP alleged that the accused professor was being protected because of his political affiliation. The organisation questioned whether the fact that the professor is a Congress MP was the reason for the lack of action.
It further accused the leftist representatives on the JNU Internal Committee of delaying the hearing under political pressure from their leadership.
In the press release, ABVP JNU President Mayank Panchal said the absence of prompt action on the complaints filed by female students exposed the “true face” of the Left-dominated Internal Committee and leftist organisations on campus.
He claimed that several activists associated with leftist groups had faced sexual harassment allegations in the past yet continued to remain active.
ABVP JNU Minister Praveen Kumar Piyush demanded the immediate resignation of the leftist representatives elected to the Internal Committee, describing them as “incapable.” He alleged that in a recent case involving a complaint against an AISF cadre, the leftist members of the IC had not attended any of the hearings, which, according to him, reflected their insensitivity towards women’s issues.
The organisation stated that if the investigation or hearing of such complaints was being influenced or unnecessarily delayed due to any individual, organisation or political pressure, it was a matter of serious concern.
ABVP maintained that the leftist representatives on the internal committee, who claim to champion women’s rights, were failing to protect the complainants in this case.
–IANS
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