THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Justice continues to elude a woman faculty member from a premier scientific institution who underwent workplace harassment two years ago. In spite of instruction for strict action from higher authorities, justice remains elusive.
A Facebook post by lawyer Sandhya Janardhanan Pillai has brought out the issue. Pillai reveals in her FB post that an assistant professor with the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Valiyamala, was subjected to workplace harassment by a male colleague in 2016. Though complaints were filed before the higher-ups, no action was taken, alleges the post. However, IIST director V K Dadhwal refuted the charges and maintained that recommendations of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) were followed.
The IIST director had recommended that the accused faculty member be censured. Despite the then ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar himself recommending the IIST director to review the decision, no action has been taken, the post goes on to add. Subsequently, the victim filed a police case. According to the post, the assistant professor was harassed by her male colleague during an academic discussion.
“During an academic discussion in November 2016, her colleague, in a fit of anger, abused, intimidated, confined her to the wall and was about to beat her up lest (sic) the other people in the room took him out,’’ the post says.
“The Head decided to confine the punishment merely to a Censure! This is in spite of two in-house inquiry committees reporting that the act of the man amounted to an unacceptable level of aggressiveness, usage of improper language and behaviour not befitting a professional atmosphere!’’ It goes on to add.
The assistant professor, in her complaint to the police, describes the man’s action as ‘criminal intimidation’ and ‘attempt (sic) to physical assault’.
The ICC concluded after an inquiry that “the respondent (the male faculty member) has displayed an unacceptable level of aggressiveness, usage of improper language and behaviour not befitting to a professional atmosphere”.
Dadhwal’s order, which has been accessed by Express, notes that “by behaving aggressively with a female co-faculty member the accused has acted in a manner unbecoming of a government servant and thereby rendered himself liable for disciplinary action. Good and sufficient reasons, therefore, exist for the imposition of a suitable penalty upon him.”
The director ordered that the accused be censured. But the complainant appealed to the then ISRO chairman seeking stronger action. The chairman noted that the punishment awarded to the accused was not commensurate with the gravity of the misbehaviour, and that ‘’the disciplinary authority/director, IIST may review the case and pass an appropriate order on merits.”It is alleged in the post that even after the then ISRO Chairman’s response, “the Institute continue (sic) to provide blanket support to the man”.
Recommendations implemented
IIST Director Dadhwal told ‘Express’ that the Internal Complaints Committee’s (ICC) recommendations were fully implemented. “Institute referred this immediately in November 2016 to the ICC and its findings and recommendations were accepted in full by the Institute. ICC proceedings and recommendations are confidential, and cannot be shared in public. Someone has definitely shared some information, which has been written in the form of conclusions, accusations and sweeping statements, and more, for which I offer no comments,” said the director in an e-mail response.