IIT Kanpur: Allahabad HC stays arrest of ACP Mohsin Khan accused in sexual harassment case

PRAYAGRAJ : The Allahabad High Court on Thursday stayed the arrest of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mohammad Mohsin Khan, an accused of sexually exploiting an IIT-Kanpur scholar. The order was passed by a two-judge bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar Sangwan and Justice Mohammad Azahar Husain Idrisi on a petition filed by Khan. The high court also sought response from the state government in the matter.

A PhD scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has alleged that Khan, also pursuing a PhD in criminology at the institute, sexually exploited her under false pretence of marrying her. On December 12, an FIR was lodged against Khan, a 2013-batch Provincial Police Service officer, at Kalyanpur police station on charges of sexual relationship with a woman using deceitful means. Later, the ACP was relieved of his duties in the Collectorganj circle and attached to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters in Lucknow.

In her FIR, the woman student whose research focuses on cybercrime, a subject also studied by the accused, claimed their relationship began during their academic pursuits. Khan concealed his marital status and falsely promised marriage, according to the victim's claims. A five-member Special Investigation Team headed by Additional DCP (Traffic) Archana Singh has been constituted to probe the matter, police said.