BHUBANESWAR: The three-member committee, which was assigned with the task of inquiring into the FM Autonomous College incident by the Higher Education department, has found shortcomings in the way the case was handled by both the principal and internal complaints committee (ICC) of the institution.
A member requesting anonymity, said while the ICC could have handled the case more cautiously and explored all angles before submitting its report to the principal given the sensitivity of the case, the latter allowing the accused assistant professor Samira Kumar Sahoo to continue working during the ICC inquiry was a problem.
The victim, who accused Sahoo of harassing her after she refused his ‘favour’ demands, had in her complaint to the ICC threatened to take extreme step if her grievance was not addressed. “Had the entire case been handled cautiously and sensitively by the ICC and principal, the girl would not have taken the step,” said the inquiry panel member. Since the principal took cognisance of the ICC report and allegedly threatened the girl of punitive action as per UGC provisions when no sexual harassment complaint was established against Sahoo, the ICC should have taken more time to investigate the truth as there were many complaints on Sahoo’s behaviour towards students, the member said.
The inquiry panel questioned around 33 people in connection with the circumstances that led to the self-immolation bid on July 12. Apparently, the students gave mixed opinions on the accused assistant professor. “Had the principal asked the accused to leave the campus during the inquiry tenure, the students would have got a cushion space to come out with an impartial opinion on the accused,” the member said.
The committee, which concluded its inquiry on Saturday, will submit its report to the department in next four to five days.
Meanwhile, the fact-finding team of University Grants Commission is continuing its probe into the case. The four-member committee led by Raj Kumar Mittal who is a professor at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and a member of UGC, arrived on the campus on Friday for investigation. “We are speaking to everyone who is directly and indirectly connected to the case,” said Mittal. The team will submit its report to the UGC in a week’s time.