Professor At NIT-Rourkela In Odisha Faces Sexual Harassment Charges

Rourkela: A Professor at the National Institute of Technology-Rourkela (NIT-R) has been accused by a PhD student of sexual harassment.

The student lodged a complaint against the Professor with NIT-R Director K Umamaheswar Rao in April first week.

The institute’s five-member internal complaints committee (ICC), headed by Prof Poonam Singh and comprising three female and two male members, is probing the charges. The panel is learnt to have submitted a preliminary report to the director two days back, TNIE reported.

According to the report, the incident took place around six months ago. The victim alleged that the Professor asked her to accompany him to Jharsuguda on research work. The accused allegedly took her to a “restaurant for having food” but on reaching the place, the victim was shocked to find out that it was a hotel room booked in advance by the Professor, the student alleged, accusing him of making sexual advances.

“Notwithstanding the findings of the ICC, the safety and security of the student will be ensured. It is our primary responsibility to safeguard students from exploitation. The recommendations of the ICC will be initiated without any delay. But the inquiry is yet to conclude,” Prof Rao told TNIE.

In May 2016, video of the then security officer allegedly caught in a compromising position with a woman guard at the institute had gone viral. He was arrested on rape charge.

In October 2016, a BTech student at NIT-R levelled sexual harassment charges against a clerk in the security department.

Before that in July 2013, an MTech student had accused her project guide of calling her to his office and making sexual advances.

All these cases were investigated by the internal complaints committee of the institute but the findings were never made public.