A Political Science professor from Delhi University's Daulat Ram College was arrested by the Maurice Nagar police on Monday, 5 February for allegedly sexually harassing a 17-year-old student.
The student alleged that Professor Abhay Kumar had often tried to touch her inappropriately whenever he found her alone. The girl reportedly informed the police that he would follow her and ask her to meet him. He would even allegedly threaten to fail her in internal exams if she rejected his advances.
For the students of the college, neither the arrest nor the allegations levelled against Kumar were surprising. What was also not surprising for the students of the all-girls college was Principal Savita Roy's "stony silence" on the matter.
Professor, A Repeat Offender
Kritika*, 18, calls Kumar a "repeat offender", narrating his "disgusting routine". According to her, the middle-aged professor with more than 18 years of experience would first insist that the girl students address him by his first name, then exchange numbers with them and send "uncomfortable" text messages. He would then ask students to visit him privately, and ask for photos to be sent.
I started attending his classes in July. Earlier, I used to think he was just another over-friendly teacher. But soon his so-called friendly messages started blaring warning signals. I decided to draw the line the day he asked me to send a photo of myself. I blocked him and started avoiding interaction with him.
When she discussed it with her immediate peers, she learnt that she was not alone in this and that people have experienced "far worse". Neha*, a second year student, was one of them.
For instance, the minor who made the complaint, was egged on by Kumar to meet him alone, failing which her papers would be left unchecked, he said.
If she ignored his messages, Neha says, he would leave no stone unturned to pick on her in class.
I was scared that the authorities would try to shame me if I complained. The college is like that, and wouldn’t want anything negative against them. I am not from Delhi, and if there is some kind of backlash, I wouldn’t know where to go. The college has a complaints committee. But that exists only on paper.
Both Kritika and Neha claim that there are many girl students who have been harassed by the professor, and at least two other girls who have been "inappropriately" touched by the professor inside the college premises.
In the screenshot of a chat thread, the messages reveal the professor calling a student "hot and sexy" and asking her questions about her alleged boyfriend. The Quint also has access to the messages where the professor is asking the girl students to meet him alone for attendance, not disclose details of the private meeting, and promising certain concessions to "close friends".
Inaction By Principal Despite Being in Loop?
In the six days it took between the complaint being filed (31 January) and Kumar's arrest (5 February), students point out that the Professor was not only allowed to enter the college premises but also allowed to take classes. Even on the day of the arrest, Kumar was defending himself in front of a class, alleging that he has been "falsely" charged.
When another student, Namita*, took to Facebook, elaborating the actions of the professor, the management threatened her with suspension and asked her to take down the post.
“The Principal, who should actually be heralding the protest and should have extended support to all these girls was silent about the entire incident, pretending like it never happened. What kind of administration does that? When asked why he was still taking class, the Principal said that she did not get any legal notice,” Namita said, adding that when similar complaints were made earlier, the Principal did not take any action. This could have forced the minor to go directly to the police, she says.
The minor had also approached DU's Gender Cell on 2 February, expressing concern about the college's inaction.
Responding to the allegations, Principal Roy told The Quint that while she received a call from the SHO of Maurice Nagar police station, they told her that the nature of the complaint was “confidential”. She added that since the matter was “sensitive”, she wanted to wait for the report to act on it.
While Principal Roy denied receiving “formal” complaint from the students earlier, she reportedly confirmed receiving similar complaints against the same professor in October 2017 to the DUSU Gender Cell Representative Narayani Anand.
According to Anand, the Principal also told her that she "warned" the professor earlier.
Speaking to The Quint, Anand said:
The Principal was very much in loop with the happenings of the case. The minor was concerned that the college did not take any action against the Professor, despite complaints being filed. While the arrest had to be made within a given time frame, there was a delay from the police’ side due to alleged administration reasons. Irrespective of the law, what steps has the college taken against the perpetrator?
Students were told that Kumar had submitted his resignation by the principal, but were not shown documents to support it. Students also question how someone who has "resigned" on serious charges would be allowed to take classes.
(The Quint has also reached out to SRCC students, and the copy will be updated if and when we get their response)
*The names of all students, except Narayani Anand has been changed. Anand is a DUSU Gender Cell Representative, and is not a student of the college
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