BHU stir: NCW finds sexual harassment rampant on campus
The acting NCW chief said GC Tripathi, who was the university’s vice chancellor during the unrest, did not help control the situation.
The National Commission for Women, which is investigating the alleged police action against protesting students of Banaras Hindu University on September 23, said on Friday that it has found sexual harassment was rampant on the campus. The panel added that some of the university’s male students were also involved in these cases, ANI reported.
Acting NCW chief Rekha Sharma said Girish Chandra Tripathi, who was the university’s vice chancellor during the unrest “neither met me nor picked up calls”. She said Tripathi would be summoned to Delhi. “He didn’t play his part in controlling the situation.”
The panel is investigating the protests and violence that rocked the campus after an incident of alleged sexual abuse. The students began their protest on the morning of September 22, alleging that three men had molested a female student on the campus the night before. They had accused the administration of insensitivity and inaction.
Sharma, however, added that the protests took a turn when it was “hijacked by outsiders”. She said their inquiry found a few boys who were not students at the university were staying in the hostels illegally, and hinted at security lapses around the hostels. She said these boys would be identified, and legal action would be taken against them.