The Delhi Police on Friday registered an FIR against a professor of the JNU’s School of life Sciences (SlS) following allegations of sexual harassment made against him by a group of women students. The proffesor was booked following a protest by a group of students outside the Vasant Kunj police on Thursday night.
“The professor often makes sexually-coloured remarks, open demands for sex and comments on the figure of almost every girl. If a girl objects, he holds a grudge against her,” the women students had said in a statement on Thursday. “There is a financial nexus between the professor and the administration. No instrument has been purchased for years, but still crores of rupees have been spent,” it further said.
Delhi Police said they would be questioning the professor soon.
The JNU professor, however, said that he was being targeted by the left-leaning students. “The girls, who have levelled the allegations against me, had received a mail from me on February 27 regarding their irregular attendance in the lab. So, they are targeting me,” he had said on Thursday.
A group of students, mostly girls, led by JNU Student’s Union (JNUSU) and former JNUSU members protested on Friday at School of life Sciences (SlS) demanding that the Professor Atul Johri should immediately be suspended and the premises of the centre should be made out of bounds for him. later on a delegation of students from SlS went to meet Vice-Chancellor (VC) with their demands. However, they allegedly met other senior officials who assured them of taking appropriate steps.
“He should be immediately suspended from all the posts he is holding including the professorship. Also, all the students who are doing their PhD under him should be allotted another supervisors,” said Sashi Tripathi, student leader AISA who led the protest from the forefront.
Professor Atul K Johri cannot be contacted despite of several attempts, however from the reliable sources close to him it is allegedly known that he has resigned from all the administrative posts of JNU so that a free and fair enquiry should be conducted against him without chances of any kind of interference from his side. On Thursday while talking to The Pioneer he said that he is being targeted and his character is being assassinated because he stood with the JNU administration in favour of compulsory attendance. Johri will allegedly take “legal remedy” in the case.
JNU administration in a Press release said “A few students from the School of life Sciences met with top administration officials and verbally expressed their grievances against the professor. They were assured that JNU administration will look into their grievances through the appropriate body as per the rules of the University”. It further said “The concerned professor against whom such complaint has been made has in the meantime tendered his resignation from his administrative positions.”
JNUSU alleged that the administration is shielding the accused and the students will sit at the ad-block demanding that the accused professor be immediately arrested. JNUSU has also plan to hold a march from JNU campus to Vasant Kunj Police Station at 9pm on Friday.