Foreign BHU student booked for harassing woman teacher

Varanasi, Feb 24 (IANS) A foreign student of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has been booked for allegedly harassing a woman teacher.

He has been charged with sexual harassment and criminal intimidation, following the assistant professor’s allegation that he had sent her obscene photos and messages and also tried to touch her inappropriately several times, ignoring her warnings.

The professor alleged that the student had targeted and threatened her inside and outside the BHU campus over the past two months, which, she feared, could lead to an attempt on her life.

She said he had ransacked her office with an intention to terrorise.

“He also tried to sully my character in public,” she alleged.

The FIR also mentions that he had tried to target her outside the BHU campus as well.

“I had complained against him in my department in the past. The teachers’ council then banned his entry in the department. Despite that, he would come and insult me,” she alleged.

The teacher further claimed that she went into depression because of the repeated harassment and her problem compounded because the university administration offered little help.

An investigation is underway, inspector Ashwini Pandey said.

According to BHU chief proctor Abhimanyu Singh, the teacher complained the first time a month ago and her department was asked to form a committee to look into it.

“University guards were deployed to protect her,but a few days later, the department mentioned that the situation has become normal. Guards were withdrawn then. But the accused student indulged in mischievous acts again,” he added.

“She filed a complaint on Wednesday and it was forwarded to police to lodge an FIR,” he said.

The FIR contains copies of her complaints to BHU officials and clips of messages from the student on her phone.

–IANS

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