Visva Bharati female students accuse professor of sexual harassment; lodge FIR

NEW DELHI: Three female students of Visva Bharati have lodged an FIR against a guest professor alleging that he has asked for sexual favour in exchange for passing them in semester exams. In the complaint, the three students of Persian, Urdu and Islamic Studies department alleged that the guest teacher concerned sent lewd messages on WhatsApp to them individually, and inappropriately touched them at times.

A Visva Bharati official told PTI if the three students approach the ICC (internal complaints committee) of the central university, “it will look into the charges and take appropriate action.” The said teacher had even promised to help them in the semester exams if the three girls agreed to his proposals, the students alleged. A copy of the complaint, lodged at Santiniketan police station on March 28 and recorded in the court of ACJM, Bolpur, was made available to PTI on Saturday.

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A police official said investigations are on. The accused teacher denied the charges and said he was being framed. “I have been teaching here so long. Never have such allegations levelled against me in the past,” he added. Visva Bharati University Faculty Association spokesperson Sudipta Bhattacharya said proper inquiry should be conducted at the earliest into the allegations.