Staffers Had Threatened to File Complaint Earlier: V-C

BENGALURU: The four faculty members of Bangalore University’s Kannada Department, who have filed a workplace harassment case with the State Women’s Commission, had threatened the Vice-Chancellor of filing a case few months ago.

Vice-Chancellor B Thimme Gowda revealed this to the media after a Syndicate meeting held here on Wednesday. Gowda said, “There is an ego clash among the faculty at the Kannada department and we have been trying to settle it for a year. We convened a series of meetings and in one of the meetings, the ladies had threatened of filing a harassment case.”

According to the information from the director of the department and as shown in the movement register, all of them were irregular to classes. They used to come late and leave early, he said.

“A few days after threatening to file a complaint, the staff did send a harassment complaint against director of Kannada Department Dr C B Honnu Siddartha to me and I forwarded it to the university cell which deals with such cases,” said the V-C.

Even before the university cell could conduct an inquiry into it, all the four approached the women’s commission, he said.

“We are conducting the inquiry as per procedures. According to norms, the commission can take the matter up only if the complainants are not satisfied with the inquiry,” he said.

Director Denies Allegations: Kannada Department director Honnu Siddartha denied the allegations.

He showed copies of his complaint sent to the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar on October 7 stating that some faculty members were practicing untouchability against him and had sought permission to file an atrocity case against them.

He also showed a movement register which showed all the four women were irregular to classes. They were in the department for not more than an hour on any day and did not even write the reason for being late or for going early in the movement register, Siddartha added.

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