Jamia Millia Islamia suspends assistant professor over sexual harassment charges

Jamia Millia Islamia has suspended an assistant professor of the Department of Psychology over alleged sexual harassment charges and gross misconduct on the campus. The administration has also begun an inquiry into professor Abid Husain's conduct by the Internal Complaints Committee of the university on the ‘complete facts’ of the case.

Husain has rejected the allegations and accused the faculty members of plotting against him. This is the second time that a faculty member has been suspended over the alleged sexual misconduct on the campus in a month.

In the office memo, JMI Registrar Nazim Hussain Zafri said the action against Husain was taken over a written complaint filed by seven faculty members of the Department of Psychology. In the complaint, the faculty members alleged that Husain was very aggressive and used abusive and unparliamentary language towards them, particularly towards the head of the department in the presence of the Dean of the faculty, during a meeting.

“He suddenly became aggressive as well as started accusing all the faculty members and was impudent, uncivilised, discourteous, disrespectful and uncouth in the meeting against all the faculty members. As stated in the complaint, Dr. Abid had crossed all limits of decency and violated the Code of Conduct by not only verbally abusing her but also physically assaulted her in the presence of other faculty members,” the memo mentioned.

“He went to the extent of physically assaulting as well as made physical contact and tried to sexually assault her by making advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overturns, and attacking the Head of the Department and levelled personal allegations on her as well as other colleagues,” the memo further said. The assistant professor also tried to assault and used criminal force against the head of the department in a public meeting, it said.

“The Vice Chancellor, JMI, in terms of powers vested in her under the Statute 37(1) of the Statutes of the University, has placed Dr. Abid Husain, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Jamia Millia Islamia, under suspension with immediate effect pending disciplinary proceedings, separately an inquiry be conducted by the Internal Complaints Committee of the University on the complete facts of the case,” the memo read.

“During the suspension period, the headquarter of Dr Abid Husain, Assistant Professor (under suspension), will be in New Delhi and he shall not leave the headquarter without prior approval of the Competent Authority,” it said.

Talking to PTI, Husain said the administration has not considered his version of events. “All the allegations are fake and the university has not considered my version. This is the personal vendetta of faculty members against me,” he said. Earlier this month, JMI suspended S Veeramani, assistant professor, Department of Management Studies, for allegedly sexually harassing a female student.

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