Rues inaction against ‘tainted professor’
SHILLONG: The NEHUSU has demanded immediate implementation of the Sexual Harassment Act, 2013, which mandates constitution of an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to swiftly deal with such cases.
Making the demand, the students’ union accused the NEHU authorities of being indifferent to taking action against those involved in sexual harassment of students in the university.
Addressing media persons here on Tuesday, the union’s general secretary, Elnathan W. Lyngkhoi, said, “The ICC is non-existent in NEHU. It is a committee entrusted with the powers and responsibility to prevent, prohibit and redress incidents of sexual harassment of women employees and students (of NEHU).”
The women’s cell in NEHU is toothless, he added.
“Despite their genuine efforts to seek a just resolution of a recent shameful episode of sexual harassment of a student by a professor, the veracious findings and report of the cell were deemed insufficient for initiating punitive action against the accused,” Lyngkhoi said and added that the dogged obstinacy of NEHU-EC to consider the cell’s findings as final and definitive, and its recommendation apt for the offence committed, led to the current situation.
Lyngkhoi alleged that sexual offenders are appointed as professors and move scot-free despite evidence against them.