SAMBALPUR: The Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) of VSSUT, Burla, on Thursday submitted a report on the complaint of sexual harassment lodged by a woman faculty member against her senior colleague.
As per the 37-year-old complainant, the senior faculty member repeatedly commented on her clothes, marital status and often asked her to come to his room. Reportedly, the complaint was raised on January 8. In the complaint, the woman said, on the day of the incident, she was sitting on her desk alone when the senior colleague approached her and started talking about his students. He then stretched the conversation and asked her to come to his house hinting both of them were single. During a previous encounter, he made some remarks on her caste. The woman decided to raise the matter when after the conversation he returned and said. “Don’t share this with anyone in VSSUT. You stay alone and I also stay alone.”
She claimed the teacher repeatedly made comments on her clothes and texted unnecessarily on WhatsApp which she ignored. As it became unbearable, she mustered courage and formally lodged a complaint against him. “It hurts to see people taking it lightly as it happened verbally. Many faculties here tried to neutralise the issue,” she said.
Registrar of VSSUT, Pradeep Dang, said, as per provision, an inquiry was conducted. “The inquiry report was submitted today. The next board would decide the further course of action in this regard. The faculty against whom the allegation has been made has been served the report,” he added.