ABVP holds protest at JNU against professor accused of sexual misconduct

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Wednesday staged a protest at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here against Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam over sexual harassment allegations against him and questioned the party’s silence on the matter.

ABVP members alleged that 11 students had filed sexual harassment complaints against Akoijam, following which the JNU professor was dismissed. It questioned why the Congress had not issued a statement on the matter.

The protest at the university’s main gate comes days after JNU dismissed Akoijam, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under the School of Social Sciences, following an inquiry into the allegations.

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The dismissal order, signed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D Pandit, stated that the university’s Internal Committee had conducted an inquiry and recommended major punishment based on its findings.

Akoijam, however, had termed his dismissal a “witch hunt” and questioned whether due process had been followed.

He had said he had not received the dismissal order or the inquiry committee’s report and challenged those making allegations that he sought sexual favours in exchange for marks to produce evidence.

Delhi Police has also served a notice to the Congress MP, asking him to join the investigation, according to reports.