Lucknow University suspends zoology assistant professor accused of harassing students

Lucknow University has suspended a zoology assistant professor.

LUCKNOW: The disciplinary committee (DC) of Lucknow University on Tuesday suspended the assistant professor of the zoology department accused of harassing girl students. The decision was taken after the DC tabled its interim report in the emergency executive council (EC). The DC suspended the assistant professor on the charges of attempt to sexually exploit a student by luring her with the promise of leaking examination question papers and violation of teacher conduct rules, sharing confidential examination information (question paper leak) and officially admitting it before the internal complaints committee (ICC), causing serious damage to the university’s reputation, social credibility and academic integrity through unethical and indecent conduct and serious sexual and mental harassment at the workplace and misconduct under the ICC and UGC guidelines.

The suspension took place the moment he was sent to jail because the rules in the university Act state that if a govt employee remains in police custody or jail for more than 24 hours, they are deemed to be suspended, although an approval from EC must be given after the findings of DC and ICC.

“Our objective is not only to take immediate action but also to ensure a safe environment on campus where our daughters can pursue education fearlessly. The disciplinary committee’s interim report has found the teacher’s conduct to be against the dignity of the profession. On this basis, he has been suspended with immediate effect. Law and institutional rules are functioning in their full strength. Through this prompt action, we want to clearly convey that regardless of position or influence, no one will be allowed to compromise the dignity of female students or the sanctity of examinations,” said Saini.

According to the decision of the emergency EC, along with immediate suspension based on the interim report of DC, a formal charge sheet against the accused teacher has also been approved and issued. Under this order, the suspended assistant professor is required to submit his written explanation, defence and counter-evidence within 15 days from the date of issuance of the charge sheet. He must submit his response through the registrar, addressed to the chairman of the disciplinary committee.

“If he fails to submit a satisfactory response within the stipulated 15-day period, the university administration will treat it as his implicit acceptance and will be fully empowered to ensure the strictest punitive action, including termination of service, as per rules,” said Saini.

The DC was constituted on May 18 in the emergency EC after the ICC submitted its findings. It was a three-member committee under the chairmanship of the vice-chancellor. Saini conducted a thorough examination of the authenticity of the viral audio clips, written and oral complaints, and the facts gathered by the ICC.

According to the ICC report, which was tabled in the emergency EC on May 18, it was found that in the past also the assistant professor has harassed multiple girls. During the proceedings of the ICC, several girls from the zoology department came forward and recorded their statements on camera.

The emergency EC was called after the audio clips of the assistant professor inducing a girl student of BSc final year and promising her two exam papers of the ongoing examination went viral, after which a huge sit-in protest was held by various student organisations, following which the girl student submitted her complaint to the proctor’s office and to the ICC on May 15.

In the audio recording, the assistant professor was also heard calling his student “darling”.

The controller of examinations at LU submitted a complaint for leaking two exam papers of the zoology department along with a pen drive containing the viral audio clips to the police, seeking registration of an FIR. Following this, an FIR was lodged at Hasanganj police station against the assistant professor, who was taken into custody on May 15.

On May 16, the assistant professor was arrested by the police on charges of outraging the modesty of women and under sections of the UP public examination (prevention of unfair means) Act 2024. Police produced the accused before the local court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days. Investigators also seized his laptop and mobile phone for examination at the forensic science laboratory.