TURA: A professor from the Tura campus of NEHU who has been accused of sending inappropriate text messages to a girl student of the university has been placed under suspension with an enquiry currently underway against him.
The behavior of the professor had sent shockwaves across the education scenario in the state with students and women’s groups raising widespread condemnation against the accused demanding his arrest and termination from service.
The accused professor, S C Srivastava, was the head of department of the Tura campus Rural Development and Agriculture Production (RDAP) when the alleged incident took place. He has since been replaced.
“He has been placed under suspension from last Thursday,” said Prof. G Singaiah, the Pro Vice Chancellor of NEHU Tura Campus when contacted by The Shillong Times.
Prof. Srivastava has been accused of sending late night inappropriate text messages to a university student.
The issue had triggered shock and anger with students staging protests demanding action against the professor.
A Women’s Cell delegation from the university’s headquarters in Shillong visited the Tura campus and met with the victim who gave her statement about the incident.
Meanwhile, there is more trouble in store for the accused professor Srivastava as more female students of the Tura campus have reportedly come forward to give statements to the Women Cell delegation against him.
University sources said that some more students from the campus had come forward and given statements to the women cell delegation about the accused professor sending inappropriate WhatsApp messages to their phones.
The Women Cell team that visited the Tura campus and took the statements of the victim and other complainants also collected all other relevant evidence in the case. The enquiry report into the sexual harassment case is expected to be out very soon.