A senior professor of the Aligarh Muslim University, who was suspended on charges of sexual harassment of a student six months ago, was cleared of the charges by an internal inquiry committee of the university, and reinstated on the day he was to retire on May 31, sparking outrage among teachers and students.
They have raised doubts on the manner in which the inquiry was conducted.
The LLM student, who accused the professor of sexual harassment, has rejected the inquiry report of AMU?s Committee Against Sexual Harassment and For Gender Sensitization (CASHFGS). ?I am planning to challenge the report in court,? she said.
Professor Mohammad Shabbir, a member of the law faculty, was accused of sexual harassment by the student on December 3 last year, following which he was suspended. A case was filed at Aligarh?s Civil Lines police station.
While the case is under way in a district court, more than two dozen faculty members have questioned the manner in which the internal inquiry was conducted. In a memorandum to Vice-Chancellor Gen Zameer Uddin Shah, they said, ?It is evident that the inquiry committee colluded with the accused or decided under pressure. We fear the way the complaint was handled, justice was clearly denied.? They demanded reopening of the case.
Vice-Chancellor Shah said, ?The exoneration is on the basis of an inquiry by a committee that found no substance in the girl?s allegation. The girl, according to the report, gave conflicting statements.?
Shabbir said: ?The allegations were baseless. I have been a victim of departmental rivalry and connivance on the part of some faculty, students and Class IV staff to defame me.?
