Jadavpur University has sent a letter to a professor informing him that he has been debarred after being found guilty of inappropriate behaviour with students.
This is in adherence to the recommendations of the internal complaints committee set up by the institute.
The university’s executive council on Wednesday accepted the recommendations of the panel.
The panel said in its report that the teacher made “unwelcome and physical and verbal conduct of sexual nature” and this “intimidated the students and made them feel uncomfortable in his class”.
JU registrar Snehamanju Basu said a letter was mailed to the teacher, informing him that the university has accepted the recommendations of the highest decision-making body.
The letter lists what the committee has recommended.
“A hard copy has been sent to him as well from our dispatch section,” registrar Basu told The Telegraph.
The panel has recommended among other things the teacher, who is a professor, needs to “undergo counselling from a professional counsellor and be allowed inside the university premises after submitting the completion certificate to the university.”
The committee has recommended the teacher should be barred from guiding any female students, not be allowed to go on a field trip with students and must undergo gender sensitisation programmes of the university.
Registrar Basu said details of the recommendations and the decision of the executive council have been sent to the head of the department where the professor teaches.
When this newspaper contacted the teacher around 4pm he said: “I have not received any letter from the registrar.”
When told about the recommendations by the internal committee, the teacher said: “All I can say is that I have never harassed a student in my teaching career that spans 18 years”.
Students of a department of the university had in September accused the teacher of “inappropriate behaviour”, prompting the university to ask the committee to carry out a probe.
Asked why the head of the department has been communicated the recommendations, a JU official said: “Since the teacher has been debarred, he won’t be able to take classes, guide any female students, go on a field trip with students till the teacher is declared fit upon completion of the counselling and the certificate is verified by the university authorities through a well laid down procedure.”
“The department head has to make suitable arrangements during the period that he will be absent so the students don’t suffer,” the official added.
JU vice-chancellor Suranjan Das earlier told The Telegraph the teacher could undergo counselling at the university’s own counselling facility or any professional facility outside the campus.
“The counselling could go on for six months or one year... Once he is through with the process of counselling, he has to submit certificates,” said the VC.