Jadavpur University vice-chancellor Suranjan Das on Tuesday said he was “hopeful” that the internal complaints committee (ICC) probing allegations of harassment against a teacher by students will submit its report before Christmas.
The committee that had to give its report by December 11 following guidelines set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) has already missed its deadline.
The norms stipulate that the report has to be submitted within 90 days of the receipt of a complaint.
“I have told the committee to give the report at the earliest. By earliest I mean before the Christmas vacation. I am hopeful that the report will be submitted before that,” VC Das said.
The vacation begins December 25 for about a week.
The Telegraph had on December 14 reported that the committee had missed the deadline and the delay had yet again raised questions about the seriousness of the probe.
Pro vice-chancellor Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya, who was running the university early last week as VC Das was away, had told this newspaper then: “The committee is expected to file its report in January.”
A JU official said the failure to comply with the UGC guidelines in submitting the report “is bothering the university”.
On September 12, the students lodged a complaint with the JU authorities against the teacher. The university referred the case to its ICC.
The UGC (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of Women Employees and Students in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2015, under which ICCs are set up, say: “The inquiry has to be completed within a period of ninety days from the receipt of the complaint. The inquiry report, with recommendations, if any, has to be submitted within ten days from the completion of the inquiry to the executive authority of the higher educational institutions. Copy of the findings shall also be served on both parties.”
Amit Sen, a former member of Calcutta University’s ICC, last week told this newspaper that the 90-day period should not be extended as it might give the impression that the ICC was not serious enough.
“I hope that there won't be any further delay. Truth must be brought out and that is possible when the report is tabled,” he said on Tuesday.
On October 18, as many as 35 students of one department had filed a general diary at Jadavpur police station against the professor with charges that included taking photographs of female students without their consent, inappropriate physical contact and uninvited comments about the students’ looks, dress, figure and social life.
The police have sought a report on the findings of the ICC.