A few days after an ex-employee from Delhi University’s Bhim Rao Ambedkar College tried to immolate herself in front of the Delhi Secretariat allegedly due to wrongful termination and sexual harassment, the teachers and students of the college along with the DU karamcharis union protested outside the college. They demanded an immediate suspension of the principal pending a fair enquiry of the alleged sexual harassment.
“We are not able to speak freely against the principal if he stays in office, if he is suspended the enquiry will be fair. Now, we are not confident enough to speak up for an employee against whom a grave injustice has been done. In fact, a lot of people give statements in favour of the principal since he is in charge of their careers,” alleged one teacher not willing to be named.
Teachers from other colleges, however, were willing to be named and have also procured documents that state that the woman’s complaints were not forwarded to the governing body as is required in such cases. “She made her complaint and the principal terminated her without consulting anyone. She is a grade three employee and her termination is also illegal. Her protests were not taken seriously, this is a very serious offence,” said former DUTA president Aditya Misra.
The teachers say action taken should be strict enough to set an example. The principal did not respond to phone calls from The Hindu .
