C. Ravisankar, an Assistant Professor with the School of Tamil Studies in Madurai Kamaraj University was on Sunday transferred to a constituent college of the university following allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a research scholar.
The scholar, who was doing her research in another department, had made the complaint to the university administration in March last year. She had reportedly alleged that Dr. Ravisankar, whom she had known prior to joining the university as a research scholar, made sexual advances.
The complaint was subsequently forwarded to the Local Complaints Committee constituted in the university as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013.
The committee, which conducted enquiries with both the complainant and Dr. Ravisankar over at least two sittings in July and August 2016, found the allegations to be credible and recommended his transfer out of the university until final investigation into the allegations is over.
Though the recommendation was made in August 2016, an official allegedly did not take steps for the transfer and kept the file pending, highly placed sources in the university said.
The transfer order was made after the case was recently brought to the notice of the Syndicate Committee, headed by Higher Education Secretary Sunil Paliwal, which is now in-charge of the university administration due to the absence of Vice-Chancellor.
G. Arumugam, Registrar (in-charge), said that Mr. Paliwal, the Convenor of the Syndicate Committee, took a serious view of the issue when the file was taken to him last Thursday and ordered for the immediate transfer of Dr. Ravisankar.
“Consequently, he has been transferred to the MKU Constituent College in Vedasandur in Dindigul district. The order was served to him on Sunday,” he said.
Stating that the transfer was also to ensure that his presence in the university did not influence the committee’s enquiry, Mr. Arumugam said that further course of action on Dr. Ravisankar will be decided based on the final enquiry report of the committee.
When contacted, Dr. Ravisankar said he will call back with his response. While The Hindu did not receive any call from him, subsequent attempts to reach him over phone also failed.
