GUWAHATI: A faculty member of Assam Don Bosco University (ADBU) in Sonapur has been accused of sexually harassing a 19-year-old female student, leading to the filing of an FIR at Sonapur Police Station and triggering widespread protests on the university campus on Monday night, June 15.
According to the complaint, the student, a second-year undergraduate, alleged that faculty member Dr Saurav Chandra subjected her to inappropriate sexual advances and misconduct after calling her to his cabin on the pretext of discussing attendance.
Speaking to GPlus, a student who participated in the protests alleged that the faculty member called the student to his cabin to discuss attendance before allegedly behaving inappropriately. The student further claimed that the professor asked several uncomfortable personal questions and allegedly invited the student to drink with him. Students alleged that more than 15 similar incidents involving the faculty member had occurred earlier but were either not formally reported or did not lead to any action.
The allegations quickly sparked outrage among students, who staged protests within the university premises on Monday night, demanding strict action against the accused. Protesters also claimed that this was not an isolated incident and alleged that similar complaints had been raised against the faculty member in the past.
As protests intensified and continued late into the night, Sonapur Police personnel were deployed on the campus to maintain law and order.
Meanwhile, the university administration confirmed that action had been taken against the accused faculty member. Speaking to the media, the administration said the institution's Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) had examined the matter and recommended termination.
"The Internal Complaints Committee has recommended termination, and we have terminated him. He is no longer associated with us," the official said.
Students have called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the allegations and demanded accountability if previous complaints were ignored. Police are expected to investigate the matter based on the FIR lodged by the complainant.