The Karnataka State Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of a video circulating on social media of a lecturer in a private college sexually harassing a female student in class.
The incident reportedly took place during an English lecture at a first pre-university college in V.V. Puram.
According to sources, many girls were uncomfortable with his behaviour.
They tried various ways to avoid the unwanted attention, but in vain.
Finally, a group of students decided to record his conduct.
“We tried to device ways to ensure that girls in our class felt comfortable. We told them to sit in the middle so that he could not reach them. But later, we decided to record his behaviour,” a student said, adding that this was not a one-off incident.
‘No action’
The students claimed to have informed the management orally, but no action had been taken.
Manjula Manasa, Chairperson of the Commission, said they have sought a report from the police. “Since the girl is a minor, we may transfer the case to the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights for a detailed inquiry after we receive the police report,” she said.
Report sought
S. Jayakumar, Director (additional charge), Department of Pre-University Education, said that he has also sought a report.
Repeated attempts to reach the college authorities for a response went unanswered.
Students are unaware if the college has a child protection committee, which is mandatory for all educational institutions that have students below the age of 18, as per the Karnataka State Child Protection Policy.
Karnataka State Commission for Women takes up case after video goes viral