A third-year BCA student has alleged that her HoD touched her inappropriately and promised to help her secure attendance and full marks.
Published Oct 10, 2025 | 8:36 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 10, 2025 | 8:36 PM
The HoD has been suspended without pay.
Synopsis: Protests erupted at Bengalurur’s Jain (Deemed-to-be) University on Thursday after a Head of Department, Sanjeev Kumar Mandal, was booked for sexually harassing a 19-year-old student at his residence on 25 September. Despite the outrage and demands for his immediate termination, the university has not offered support to the victim, though Mandal has been suspended without pay.
Massive protests erupted at Jain (Deemed-to-be) University in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar on Thursday, 9 October after sexual harassment allegations against a Head of Department came to light. The protesting students demanded the immediate termination of the HoD.
On 5 October, the Tilaknagar police registered an FIR against the professor, Sanjeev Kumar Mandal, after a complaint alleged that he sexually harassed a 19-year-old student at his residence on 25 September. He has been booked under Section 75 (Sexual Harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Despite the protests, the college has not reached out to the victim to provide support, alleged social worker Dushyant Dubey, who goes by St Broseph on social media and helped the student file the FIR while supporting her during the investigation.
Mandal, meanwhile, has been suspended without pay.
A petition demanding the immediate termination of the professor has received 10,238 signatures so far.
“Educational institutions have a duty to uphold values, ethics, and integrity, and allowing individuals with such misconduct to remain in authoritative positions sets a dangerous precedent,” the petition stated.
The third-year BCA student, in her complaint, alleged that her HoD, Mandal, first called her to his office on campus. He then asked her to go to the basement but refused to discuss anything there.
Eventually, he called the student’s mother to convince her to allow the student to visit his house. “My wife and kids are at home. So there is no need to worry,” he reportedly told her mother, according to the complaint.
Soon after they reached his house, the HoD informed the student that his wife and kids were not at home and allegedly began asking her personal questions.
“He asked about my boyfriend and told me that I should break up with my boyfriend and move into a PG next to his own apartment so that I could visit his house easily and regularly to ‘clear doubts’,” the complaint stated.
The student further alleged that the HoD touched her inappropriately and promised to help her secure attendance and full marks.
When she tried to leave his house under the pretext of an emergency call, Mandal reportedly blocked her by forcefully restraining her.
“Do you have money? I can give you money if you want me to, many students come to me for money,” he reportedly told her, according to the complaint.
The student eventually managed to escape after several attempts. “This incident has left me completely shaken, traumatised, and scared for my safety,” she said in her complaint.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
