Agra professor accused of sexually assaulting research scholar arrested in Prayagraj

According to deputy commissioner of police (city) Syed Abbas Ali, Jaiswar was arrested from a hotel in the Naini area of Prayagraj on Friday. He was brought to Agra, produced before the court, and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.

A professor accused of sexually exploiting a female research scholar was arrested by Agra police and sent to jail after being produced before a court on Friday, officials said. The accused, Gautam Jaiswar, a faculty member at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, had been suspended earlier this week by the vice-chancellor after a case was registered against him at the New Agra police station.

The accused, a faculty member at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, had been suspended earlier this week. (For representation)

According to deputy commissioner of police (city) Syed Abbas Ali, Jaiswar was arrested from a hotel in the Naini area of Prayagraj on Friday. He was brought to Agra, produced before the court, and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.

As per the FIR, registered on the complaint of the research scholar, the professor allegedly sexually exploited her for two years on the false promise of marriage. The accused, who was the scholar’s co-guide, allegedly harassed her and threatened that her PhD work would be in jeopardy if she insisted on marriage, despite him being already married.

The complaint further alleged that on October 25, the accused physically assaulted her and tried to destroy her mobile phone to erase evidence. The woman had earlier moved to Mathura for work, but the accused allegedly coerced her to visit his office on the university’s Khandari campus on October 26.

The case was registered under sections 69 (sexual intercourse under deceit), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on October 26.

Earlier on October 28, several student organisations, including the NSUI and Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, staged a protest outside the vice-chancellor’s residence on the Khandari campus, demanding the professor’s expulsion and arrest. Police later reached the spot to pacify the protesters, who warned of intensified agitation if action was delayed.