Sexual harassment in Assam University: Sudipto Sarkar removed from the post of HOD 

An institution of highest stature Assam University Silchar is again on the news for all wrong and non-academic reasons. Repeated cases of sexual harassment have rocked the Univerisity administration. Names of one after another faculty members are getting associated with the vicious crime. The University’s executive committee was compelled to suspend professor Nirakar Mallik for sexual harassment allegations against him. Before that decision could have been implemented another senior professor’s name has surfaced for the shock of many.

Head of the Department (HOD) of Agricultural Engineering, Sudipto Sarkar has been accused of sexual harassment by a final semester student of the same department. As per the student’s accusations, the professor intentionally marked her ‘fail’ in her viva and blackmailed her to be submissive in order to pass the final examination. She also alleged that the professor sent her obscene messages on WhatsApp, not only that, there are charges of molestation too, according to the student she was called by the professor at his cabin where he forced himself on her and touched her with wrong intentions. On July 16, the student wrote an official complaint addressing it to the Vice Chancellor, copying, Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Human Resource Department.

Reacting on the complaint the administration had set up an Internal Complain Committee (ICC) which questioned the student for over 90 minutes. During that period the student exhibited all the pieces of evidence which includes, screenshots of WhatsApp messages, call recordings and all. But, despite that, no actions were taken against the HOD and that irked the student’s union. Yesterday, the union assembled in interim vice chancellor professor D K Pandya’s office and pressurised him to take actions against accused Sudipto Sarkar. The pressure tactic worked to some extent, Pandya decided to remove Sarkar from the post of HOD till further notice. The union though was not upbeat about the action taken against the HOD. Their demand is to suspend him from his services and they made it clear to the administration that if Sarkar is not suspended the student’s union will call for a massive strike.

The student, victim of sexual harassment addressed the media yesterday where she narrated what she has been going through since January 2018. The entire department was marked “fail” in the viva examination and the student believes that was Sudipto Sarkar’s cheap tactic to get girls in his cabin. She said, she was given options to either go to the professor’s flat, wine and dine with him and the submit herself to him or suffer in the final examination. Apart from that there were a series of obscene WhatsApp messages. The student mentioned that she had a very difficult time dealing with all of that, but as it was her final semester she decided to bear it all. She also informed that she was going through depression and had to admit herself in Silchar Medical College and Hospital.