CUSAT professor gets student’s hostel room pictures taken, uses them to harass her

KOCHI: A senior Cusat professor has been charged with mentally harassing a girl student by stalking and taking her private pictures inside a hostel room with the help of her roommate. Police have registered a case against associate professor Roy V Paul, 58, of the Kunjali Marakkar School of Marine Engineering and his aide, a student and the roommate of the victim, for stalking and causing nuisance. Paul’s aide who snapped the victim at his behest shared the picture with her boyfriend and also showed it to the professor.

An internal committee of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, which probed the complaint lodged by the girl, had found that “the taking of the photographs of the complainant without her consent, especially the one in which she is not properly dressed, by the roommate is a gross violation of her privacy. The sharing of these photographs with Roy by showing the same to him and sending the same to the roommate’s male friend are also in violation of her right to privacy.” 

Recommending action against Roy “as he was not vigilant and sensible in addressing the issues related to the students”, the committee said “due consideration may be given in respect to his good intentions”. 

We’ve transferred him to another wing as punishment, says Cusat VC

When contacted, Cusat Vice- Chancellor Dr K N Madhusoodanan said appropriate action was taken against Roy based on the internal committee recommendations. “We have transferred him to another wing as punishment.” However, the victim’s relatives are not happy with the university’s decision to just limit the punishment to a transfer.

“We want the university to take serious action against the professor as per the rules which stipulate six months’ suspension. Paul had resorted to severe mental harassment of the victim which includes character shaming,” said a close relative of the girl. “He openly abused the victim in a PTA meeting attended by the parents of other students. He plotted to take her picture to shame her,” said the relative.

As per the FIR registered at Kalamassery police station, Roy conspired with the survivor’s roommate to stalk her right from November 17, 2021, and take her pictures to harass her mentally. In the internal committee report, the survivor had said Roy resorted to character assassination by accusing her of consuming liquor in hostel, making nude video calls, inappropriate dressing in hostel and having an affair with a senior college mate.