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NIT Silchar professor arrested for abusing female student: ‘Grabbed’ her from behind, 'touched thighs'
The assistant professor came hours after NIT Silchar suspended him for allegedly molesting and sexually harassing the student.
An assistant professor of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar in Assam was arrested on Friday for allegedly sexually harassing and molesting a female student in the Cachar district, police said.
The development came just hours after NIT Silchar suspended the professor, D Koteswara Raju, over the allegation. A day before, the student registered a complaint with the institute and alleged that the professor called her to his chamber after class on the pretext of discussing her low marks and harassed her.
"He asked me to explain the reason for my scores and suddenly started touching me. He asked me to feel comfortable and said that my marks can be managed if I obey him," the student said in her handwritten note.
‘Grabbed me from behind, touched thighs’
She said that the professor touched her touched her thighs, belly, neck and lips. "He asked me to sit with him, later grabbed me from behind and talked about my body parts. A friend called me that time and I rushed out of that room," she mentioned.
The allegations sparked protests, with students demanding Raju's removal from the campus. The protests were called off after the authorities assured the professor's suspension.
Students also accused the professor of being a repeat offender and said that this was the second official complaint against him.
Following his suspension, police took Raju into custody and extensively questioned him at the Ghungoor Police Outpost. He was later arrested and transferred to the Silchar Sadar Police Station on Friday evening, said Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta.
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A spokesperson of NIT Silchar said, "The matter was immediately referred to the internal complaints committee of the institute to enquire into it. The chamber were the alleged incident occurred has been sealed."
The assistant professor has been teaching in the institute since 2018. In 2021, he was exonerated after a student accused him of sexual harassment, citing a lack of evidence and the absence of the complainant during the proceedings.
The NIT’s Internal Complaint Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act also started a probe into the fresh complaint.
