An associate professor of Utkal University, Odisha, was suspended on Wednesday for allegedly molesting a female postgraduate (PG) student.

The action was taken after the Chancellor’s (governor’s) office intervened and shot a letter to the vice-chancellor, asking him to submit an action-taken report on the alleged sexual harassment.

The professor belongs to the economics department. According to the allegation of the postgraduate student, she had gone to the chamber of the associate professor located in the department building on August 16 to bring some books when the professor allegedly molested her. The professor also warned her not to reveal it to anyone.

The girl brought the issue to the notice of the authorities and filed a written complaint with the Sexual Harassment Cell of the university. She gave a detailed account of her ordeal. However, the authorities did not act on it.

Later, an RTI activist filed a case with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and it was brought into the public domain. The university authority then constituted an internal committee to probe into the issue. Even after the internal committee submitted its report, no action was taken against the accused.

After that the issue was brought to the notice of the Chancellor and the Chancellor wrote a letter to the vice-chancellor.

Following Chancellor’s intervention, the associate professor was placed under suspension. The authorities asked the associate professor not to leave the campus without the permission of the vice-chancellor.

However, the Utkal University authorities remained tight-lipped on the issue.