More students accuse suspended Nair Hospital professor of sexual harassment

Multiple female students filed complaints against a suspended BYL Nair Hospital professor for sexual harassment, prompting a full investigation

Mumbai: In a hearing held at Prabhadevi on Thursday, several more female students came forward to lodge complaints against a suspended assistant professor from BYL Nair Hospital, who was accused of sexual harassment. To date, around 10 complaints have been filed against the professor.

Initial investigations conducted by Nair Hospital’s ICC and, later, by the Local Complaints Committee (LCC) recommended the transfer of the assistant professor to another college. (Photo by Satish Bate/Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

The hearing was organised following a directive from the additional municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). It was conducted by the Savitribai Phule Women’s Resource Centre’s (SPGRC) Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee at the Workplace. These complaints were submitted after the professor’s suspension.

As HT had reported earlier, initial investigations conducted by Nair Hospital’s ICC and, later, by the Local Complaints Committee (LCC) recommended the transfer of the assistant professor to another college. However, the civic body eventually suspended him and asked a higher-level ICC to conduct a full investigation. The ICC had requested written complaints from students by September 25 and held the Thursday hearing to gather further testimonies.

The Association of State Medical Interns (ASMI) issued a statement, saying, “Multiple complaints were submitted on Thursday, and several female students came forward to speak before the higher committee. We have provided evidence against the assistant professor and the dean. We have made legitimate demands based on this evidence, and if these demands are not met, we will initiate a statewide agitation in Maharashtra.”

One student alleged that the professor deliberately withheld checking one of her exam answers, forcing her to meet with him to get the issue resolved. “During these meetings, he assaulted me many times,” she said, breaking down in tears. Another student shared a similar experience, stating that the professor would call her to his office under the guise of academic discussions and then assault her.

In addition to student testimonies, three staff members were also present at the hearing. One female staff member disclosed that during her more than a decade of service, she had never received as many memos as she did during the year under the professor’s supervision—37 in total. “I refused to carry out certain tasks that were beyond my authority, but he still pressured me to do them,” she reportedly said during the hearing.

Despite several attempts, HT was unable to reach an officer from the SPGRC for comment.