The emergency Executive Council (EC) meeting of Lucknow University on Monday recommended strict disciplinary action against an assistant professor from the zoology department who was arrested for making sexual advances toward a female student. A disciplinary committee has been formed and is expected to present its interim report on Tuesday during another emergency EC session, where a stringent service-related decision will be taken against the accused.
Formation of Disciplinary Committee
Acting on the report of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), the EC has constituted a three-member disciplinary committee chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof. J.P. Saini. The panel includes Prof. Rachna Srivastava, principal of AP Sen Girls' PG College, and Prof. Anand Vishwakarma from the law faculty. The committee will examine the case and submit its findings, according to LU spokesperson Mukul Srivastava.
Investigation Process
The disciplinary committee will conduct a detailed probe, verify statements from the victim, the accused professor, and students who recorded their statements before the ICC. It will cross-examine evidence and testimonies to establish facts before submitting its final report.
Background of the Case
The emergency EC was convened after audio clips of the accused assistant professor went viral last week. In the clips, he was heard inducing a BSc final-year student and promising her two exam papers of the ongoing examinations if she agreed to meet him. Students, including those from Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Samajwadi Chattra Sabha, protested on campus, prompting the girl student to submit a complaint to the proctor's office and the ICC on May 15.
LU's Controller of Examinations filed a complaint against the accused for leaking two zoology department papers, along with a pen drive containing the viral audio clips, and demanded an FIR. The FIR was registered at Hasanganj police station, and the assistant professor was taken into custody on May 16. Police produced the accused before a local court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days. Investigators also seized his laptop and mobile phone for forensic examination.
Strengthening Grievance Redressal
Vice-Chancellor Prof. J.P. Saini announced measures to strengthen grievance redressal, including the appointment of presiding officers across all affiliated colleges and departments. These officers will be assigned dedicated WhatsApp numbers and official email IDs, which will be widely displayed to ensure easy and fearless reporting of complaints. An annual ICC calendar will introduce regular seminars and awareness programs, with at least two activities every month.
