Students allege sexual harassment, two more Professors suspended

Bhubaneswar, May 15: Two more professors of Post Graduate Psychology department of the premier Utkal University were suspended today due to the alleged sexual harassment to students.

Utkal University Vice-Chancellor Dr L N Mishra suspended Banamali Mohanty and Prabhas Mishra after a four-member committee of the Sexual Harassment Cell recommended strong disciplinary action against them.

The cell held a detailed deliberation and probed into the allegations of three Post Graduate girl students who had submitted written complaints against the two professors, alleging physical sexual harassment.

The Vice-Chancellor had also forwarded the complaint to the police to take up the matter. The University had earlier suspended Prof Adhikari Srikant Das after six girl students of Post Graduate Diploma in Early Child Education complained of sexual harassment during a field study trip last month.

Prof Das was suspended on Tuesday last following an interim report of the Sexual Harassment Cell, which recommended action against him on the basis of written complaints by the six girl students.

The professor who was booked under various sections of the IPC for using obscene language, criminal intimidation and making gestures, was arrested on Saturday night and produced to the court yesterday. He was later sent to jail after his bail application was rejected by a local court here.

Police said Prof Das, during interrogation had denied the charges levelled against him by the six students.

UNI