SAMBALPUR: In the wake of the arrest of an assistant professor on charges of sexually exploiting a female student, Gangadhar Meher University has issued a notice urging students to refrain from spreading unverified information or naming individuals on social media or group platforms.
In a formal advisory issued on Friday night, the university asked students not to speculate or share unwarranted content related to the case. “Since the case has been reported directly to the police, we do not have information about names of individuals except the prime accused. Naming any person, speculating and sharing unverified information could harm individuals and also the institution,” the notice stated.
The students were advised to focus on academics and the university’s developmental activities, steering clear of rumours and online speculation.
The university’s latest advisory appears to be aimed at curbing misinformation while administrative and legal processes take their course. This comes a day after the university’s internal complaints committee (ICC) held an urgent meeting to address campus safety in the wake of the arrest.
The meeting led to a series of institutional decisions including advisories to faculty members on professional conduct, awareness campaigns in hostels, distribution of informational leaflets and regular monitoring of ICC activities. The university also released contact details of ICC members to ensure easier access for students in need of support.
On the other hand, amid the ongoing investigation into the conduct of the accused assistant professor, there is an increased demand for examining his background and legitimacy of his appointment in the university. Following the accused teacher’s appointment in GMU in 2020, one Sambhu Sankar Deep of Balangir had challenged his recruitment in the high court. Deep alleged that though he held a PhD and the accused was merely NET-qualified, the latter was appointed as assistant professor - suggesting a procedural irregularity.
The assistant professor’s arrest has also triggered a political row on the campus, with the ABVP alleging that Suna had links with the BCJD. The student outfit cited his past social media posts featuring BJD leaders and BCJD members as evidence.
Accused Gopikant Suna (32), an assistant professor in the department of Education, was arrested on July 17 on basis of a complaint filed by a 20-year-old second-year BA BEd student who alleged that the teacher had repeatedly exploited her under the false promise of marriage. Suna has also been placed under suspension pending further proceedings.