Jami Millia Islamia (a central university, situated in Jamia Nagar of Delhi) suspended its assistant professor on Wednesday after he was arrested for allegedly raping a colleaugue on the pretext of marrying her.
The lecturer, who was subjected to the crime, in her complaint with the Delhi police, said that the incident took place in June last year in Maharani Bagh after the duo met in April. The accused reportedly initiated contact through the social media platform LinkedIn and proposed a relationship after they met at the University, police said.
The police have filed a complaint against the accused under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and have arrested him, with an investigation underway.
According to the complaint, the accused took physical advantage of the victim, claiming that he wanted to marry her. The two families even discussed the marriage arrangements before things took a turn in October. The marriage talks fell apart when the accused suddenly claimed that their horoscopes did not match, and the victim’s father also disapproved of the marriage.
Reiterating its zero-tolerance policy toward crimes against women, Jamia Millia Islamia terminated a professor’s service on Wednesday. “… it is clarified that the incident of sexual assault happened outside the university and is totally individual and personal. Therefore, JMI does not have anything to do with the alleged incident as it did not happen on the university campus,” the varsity maintained.
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The university administration further noted that the professor was a contractual employee, not a permanent staff member. It also highlighted the measures taken by the university to prevent such crimes, such as gender sensitisation initiatives and the role of the Internal Complaint Committee in cases of sexual harassment.
“…Nonetheless, the university administration, conveying its severe denouncement of the grave crime placed him under termination, stating that any assault on the honor, dignity and rights of women will not be tolerated by JMI and that the university is sure that justice will be served as law will take its own course,” read the statement.