The fact-finding committee set up by the University of Mumbai to inquire into the sexual harassment of a female professor and two other female employees of the physical education department by two male professors, is yet to submit its report, though it was appointed nearly a year ago. According to committee members, after the arrest of the two accused by the police, the committee slackened, as a result of which the work on preparing the report got delayed. The committee, however, said that the report would be ready and submitted to the University within 15 days. According to management council member Dilip Karande, due to the furore surrounding the incident wherein a male professor had outraged the modesty of a female professor by changing clothes in front of her in the staff room, the University hurriedly set up a committee to conduct a fact-finding exercise. However, after the arrest of the accused, Nilesh Lohar, the professor and head of department Bapu Chougule in December last year, the committee abandoned its task. Admitting to the lapse on the committee’s part, Dr D. Punjwani, a committee member himself, said, “After the arrest of the two persons, the committee thought that its activity would disrupt the police investigation and hence did not pursue it. However, after the completion of the police investigation, the committee had to reconvene and continue from where it had left off, which has not happened.” He added that the committee would restart fact-finding on a war-footing and ensure that the report was ready for submission within 15 days. The incident had occurred in March 2012 after which the University had asked the women’s development cell (WDC) to conduct an inquiry. As the victims were not satisfied with the WDC report, they lodged a police complaint in August after which the University set up the fact-finding committee. While initially both the accused were absconding, they later surrendered to the police in December. The committee’s scope includes finding facts about the role of the department as well as speaking with its other staffers regarding the antecedents of the accused and the victimisation of the three complainants.
