IIT-Kanpur student accuses professor of ‘inappropriate conduct’, probe on

The woman, who belongs to a European nation, complained about the incident to the embassy of her country.

A foreign student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur has accused a professor of “inappropriate conduct”, prompting the administration to remove him from teaching responsibilities and launching a probe under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, a statement said on Tuesday.

The student was admitted to the institute under a student exchange programme that ranges from six months to two years. (HT FILE)

The woman, who belongs to a European nation, complained about the incident to the embassy of her country. The institute began investigating the matter after the complaint was forwarded by the embassy, a person aware of the developments said on condition of anonymity.

The student was admitted to the institute under a student exchange programme that ranges from six months to two years. It allows foreign students to study at the institute, but they are awarded degrees by the institution in which they are enrolled in their own countries.

“Last week, a complaint was filed by a girl student against a faculty member for inappropriate conduct. The Internal Complaints Committee of the institute started investigations under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act following Supreme Court guidelines,” Manindra Agarwal, deputy director of IIT-Kanpur, said.

“Immediately, on the recommendations of ICC, the said faculty member was removed from teaching responsibilities of the course in which the girl student was registered,” Agarwal added.

Agrawal declined to disclose the nationality of the girl student. “In order to protect the identity of the complainant as required by the law, the institute requests everyone, including media, to exercise restraint and not to reveal any details about the complainant while reporting the incident,” a statement by the institute said.

The institute said it had a zero-tolerance policy against any “deviant behaviour” and strict action would be initiated once the recommendations of the panel were submitted.

IIT-Kanpur has 271 foreign students, of which 79 are female. It has six exchange students, of which three are female.