A case of sexual harassment at Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) and the way Vice Chancellor handled the entire matter has been catching quite some eyeballs. Here’s what happened and why the students have been sitting on a hunger strike.
Sexual Harassment at HNLU
As reported by HuffingtonPost, in March this year a second year student of HNLU (Hidayatullah National Law University, Chattisgarh) was asked by a Professor to dance in front of a class of 55 students. Shocked by what ensued, the class went silent.
“You can dance in public places, you can’t dance for me?”, the professor shouted and laughed when the student went back to her desk in shock feeling uncomfortable.
Subsequently, the professor frequently called this student to his room and talked about her whereabouts which convinced her that she was being stalked. When the student revealed all this to a female faculty and hostel warden, she was hushed down by them.
Soon the student got to know about multiple incidents where something similar happened with other students of the University. This is when she with help of her batchmates compiled 8 different instances where the professor passed lewd comments on students or harassed them on campus!
51 students of the class signed this memorandum and it was subsequently then taken to the Vice Chancellor of the University.
Also, read: Why These Students Of A Tier 1 Engineering College Are Protesting Against Fee Hike
Complaint to VC
When the memorandum was taken to the Vice Chancellor (VC) in August this year, he reportedly shouted at the students for the way it was drafted and the kind of language that was used in it. The students were then sent back.
Much to everyone’s horror, the professor was back in the class the very next day. He threatened the students and mocked them for complaining against him. As reported in HuffPost, he also tried to withhold attendance of some of the complainants as a revenge tactic.
Investigations revealed that there were 2 other professors too who repeatedly harassed students or sent them lewd text messages.
“Other (professors) have texted female students asking them to come to trips with them as a favour”, Huffpost.
No one ever complained fearing the consequences of raising voice against professors and other authorities.
Interestingly, HNLU has an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) however, this particular complaint never reached ICC because of the Vice Chancellor of the University as he never forwarded it.
The VC was already charged with corruption and inadequacy of being a VC in a suit, on 25th September 2018, the Supreme Court reinstated him as the Vice Chancellor of the University. This happened even before the students could take up the sexual harassment matter to ICC.
Strike by students
Now, a formal complaint has been compiled but the students refuse to take it upto ICC because the VC has been reinstated in the University.
The students have submitted a ‘no confidence’ application to the Chancellor which is signed by almost 800 students of the University. The letter cites mishandling of the sexual harassment matters as one of the prime reasons why the students want him to be removed.
Since then the students have been protesting and asking for resignation of the VC from the University. After a meeting with the Chancellor, when none of the parties could reach a solution, the students sat on a hunger strike.
The VC has refuted all charges and calls all of it a conspiracy to malign his image. He said the faculty in question was warned and asked for explanation when the issue came up.
He has also warned the students to think about their future as the entire issue is defacing the University’s image.
An appeal to nation was posted on 30th September by Student Bar Association of HNLU urging people to support their cause.
Update: Owing to these protests and hunger strike, the VC finally resigned at 7:30 pm on 1st October and hashtag #HNLUkiaazadi found it’s way on social media!
Picture Credits: Google Images
Source: HuffPost, News18, LogicalIndian +more
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