BHUBANESWAR: The IIT Bhubaneswar (IIT-BBS), which was embroiled in a controversy over harassment charges levelled by a research scholar against a professor, on Saturday said the issue was addressed by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the institute six months back.
Dismissing the charges, the institute in a release issued on Saturday, said the PhD student admitted to IIT-BBS in July 2011 was working under a professor. She lodged a complaint on October 6, 2016 about alleged harassment by the supervisor after completing five-year tenure under him. While the ICC had submitted its findings in January this year, the same was shared with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, State and National Women’s Commissions and other forums where the petitions were filed.
The institute stated that the ICC after a thorough inquiry did not find any substance in the allegation against the supervisor. “The matter was reported to the Board of Governors and there is nothing pending with the institute. IIT-BBS has complied to all statutory requirements holistically,” the release added.
The incident came to light after the woman’s lawyer served a notice to Secretary in Skill Development and Technical Education Department P K Sarangi. The petitioner sought action against the professor and restoration of her Phd registration and that of her husband. The petitioner had also written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and PM Narendra Modi seeking their intervention.