GUWAHATI: An assistant professor at Assam University in Silchar was booked for allegedly molesting a woman researcher during a conference held in Bengaluru.
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The woman researcher lodged a complaint at the Assam University police outpost on October 11, alleging sexual harassment, a senior Cachar Police said.
“We received a complaint and we are probing it,” the official said.
He added that the matter involves a central university and that, under the Vishaka guidelines, the university’s internal investigation report is important before the police intervene.
An administration official at the Assam University, Silchar (AUS), Pradosh Kiran Nath, said that the woman researcher lodged a complaint alleging molestation around October 7, and the matter was referred to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
“We held a meeting, and the ICC has been asked to complete the investigation as soon as possible and submit its report,” the police official said, adding that the university has a strict policy on sexual harassment.
The incident occurred during an international academic conference held in Bengaluru in September and that she was subsequently threatened by the assistant professor several times.
On the night of September 26, after an academic discussion, the supervisor insisted on accompanying her to her allotted room, according to the complaint.
“We were alone at the lift when he made an inappropriate personal proposition and asked me to engage in physical intimacy. When I refused, he said that it could have adverse consequences for my academic progress,” the victim said.
She said that she later contacted her husband and sought help from two female faculty members from other universities.
Assam University has witnessed similar incidents in the past as well, and strict action had been taken against the accused in those cases.
