IIT PhD student accuses prof of sexual, mental harassment in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A woman PhD student of IIT, Bhubaneswar has accused a professor of sexually and mentally harassing her and of mentally torturing her husband, a PhD student in the same institute.

The allegation was rejected by the institute. The incident came to light when the woman's lawyer served a notice to the secretary in the skill development and technical education department P K Sarangi.

The petitioner sought action against the professor and restoration of her and her husband’s PhD registration. The deputy secretary of the skill development and technical education department P K Sarangi wrote a letter to the institute's authorities asking them to submit an immediate report on the matter.

The woman has also written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking their intervention. The woman in her complaint had alleged that she was a victim of sexual harassment since 2012 and had approached the IIT's authorities but unsatisfied with the report of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), instituted to look into her complaint, she has demanded fresh probe into the allegations.

IIT, Bhubaneswar has meanwhile in a press statement rejected the allegation based on the ICC findings. "The allegation against the professor is false and fabricated," IIT, Bhubaneswar, registrar Debraj Rath said.