IIT-Kanpur Professor accused of molestation by foreign student, probe ordered
A female student of foreign origin at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) has accused a professor of the institute of molestation. The IIT-K administration has now ordered an investigation into the matter, following a forwarded complaint that the girl filed at her country's embassy. Earlier on Sunday, she filed a complaint at IIT-K's Women's Cell, which wasn't acted upon.
Notably, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the institute has started probing the allegations under Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, in accordance with the Supreme Court's guidelines. "Last week, a complaint was filed by a student against a faculty member for inappropriate conduct. The Internal Complaints Committee of the institute started investigations," said Deputy Director of IIT-K, Prof. Manindra Agarwal.
Following complaint, the accused faculty member was removed from teaching responsibilities, upon recommendations of the appointed panel. "Immediately, on the recommendations of ICC, the said faculty member was removed from teaching responsibilities of the course in which the girl student was registered," he further stated.
To note, the girl student was admitted to the institute under a student exchange program, that extends from six months to two years. Under the program, foreign students study at IIT-K, but are awarded the degrees by their parent institution or university of their respective country. Meanwhile, citing security reasons, the institute has denied revealing the name, nationality, and other details about the student.
Stating that such incidents would damage the image and prestige of the reputed institute, senior professors suggested that stern action be taken against the guilty person. According to an official statement released by the institute, IITK follows a zero-tolerance policy against any deviant behavior, and strict action will be initiated once the recommendations of the ICC are submitted.
