VISAKHAPATNAM: In response to the allegations of sexual harassment, N Satyanarayana, the head of the Hindi department at Andhra University, vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said that he has maintained an untarnished track record.
Addressing the media, he expressed profound distress over the sexual harassment charges brought against him and firmly stated his willingness to undergo an inquiry led by a sitting judge to thoroughly investigate the accusations.
“As many as 25 scholars have successfully earned their PhD degrees under my mentorship. I have never taken any bribe and would willingly resign if any student would raise legitimate concerns about my conduct,” the professor observed.
Moreover, he made counter-allegations, claiming that the woman scholar who accused him had no affiliation with the Hindi department and did not even participate in the PhD examination process. He also accused the husband of the complainant researcher of attempting to use his influence to secure a PhD for his wife with falsified signatures. He further mentioned that there were attempts to pressurise him into signing the PhD thesis despite objections.
Addressing the allegations made against Satyanarayana, Registrar V Krishna Mohan said, “Allegations against AU’s administration of selling PhD degrees for monetary gain are baseless. To earn a PhD degree, the university has a unique feature of foreign evaluation, including examination by a senior professor within the State, another from outside the State, and by a professor abroad. Only with acceptance from all these three evaluators can candidates proceed to the final viva and get awarded with the degree.”
In response to the directives of the National Commission for Women, Krishna Mohan clarified that when accusing a professor, it is essential to inform the respective department’s principal, who will initiate a preliminary investigation and inform the university administration accordingly.
“The university has an Internal Complaint Committee and a Women Grievance Cell to handle such matters. Both committees have been directed to conduct a comprehensive investigation and submit an objective report verifying the allegations’ validity. If the allegations against the professor are proven, appropriate actions will be taken against him,” he observed.
Aareati Mahesh Babu, State General Secretary for the SC ST BC Minority Alumni Association, said, “During a press conference on Tuesday, Satyanarayana made startling revelations about the university’s admissions process, stating that a large number of PhD admissions were granted through backdoor channels. We complained about this six months ago. These claims were true, as he himself had been involved in the entire scam.”