The students named in the FIR denied preventing the faculty member from leaving the university's Administrative Block.
Published Nov 03, 2023 | 4:03 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 03, 2023 | 6:46 PM
This is the second set of cases which has been filed against the students after the recent protest in the university over an alleged sexual assault of a female postgraduate student in Hyderabad. (Supplied)
The Osmania University police in Hyderabad have registered one more case against the students of the English and Foreign Language University (EFLU).
The case against at least four students was registered on Wednesday, 1 November, for wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and atrocities against persons with disabilities.
The case was registered based on a complaint by a professor of the Department of English Literature.
Incidentally, the police already registered a case against 11 students — on 19 October — for allegedly promoting enmity and inciting violence.
That case was registered in connection with a students’ protest against the alleged sexual assault of a postgraduate woman student on the campus
Visually impaired Assistant Professor Dr Y Suresh Babu of the Department of English Literature complained that students prevented him from leaving the university’s Administrative Block after work on 31 October.
Babu said the students prevented him from leaving the block through any of the three gates, and that they showed no consideration to his handicap. Ignoring his requests, the students threatened him and shouted slogans, he said.
He also said that the students’ actions amounted to a violation of human rights and the rights of persons with disabilities.
Based on his complaint, the police registered a case under Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and Section 92(a) (atrocities against persons with disability) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
Even though the FIR was registered against several students, it specifically mentioned four names.
Incidentally, the students resumed their protest against the sexual assault incident when the university reopened after Dasara on 31 October. They also demanded the setting of the Sensitisation, Prevention, and Redressal of Sexual Harassment (SPARSH) Committee.
“I was there at the protest, but not at this particular spot. They view some of us as leaders, and that’s why we are being named even this time. I don’t even know the professor. I will have to find the details and speak to my lawyer,” one of the students named in FIR told South First.
Another student named in the FIR said he was shocked to learn of the case.
“Upon witnessing the professor’s attempt to leave the building, a BA student alerted one of our friends who was protesting at another gate regarding that. Subsequently, the students jointly resolved not to obstruct the professor and the BA student conveyed this message to the security personnel,” he said.
“Unfortunately, by the time the professor returned to the administrative building, it remains unclear whether the security guards communicated our decision to the professor. Later, on Friday, we discovered that our friend had been named in the FIR,” he said.
The student added that the deputy proctor and an administrative staff member were also allowed to leave.
Earlier, the National Commission for Women (NCW) directed Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anjani Kumar to conduct a “free and fair time-bound investigation” into the alleged instance of sexual assault on the campus of the Hyderabad-based English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU).
The commission said CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member V Sivadasan from Kerala brought the matter to its notice.
“Two unknown assailants sexually and physically assaulted a girl within the campus. It has been alleged that the incident happened against the backdrop of continuing protests by the students for reconstituting the hitherto inactive internal committee for gender sensitization to deal with cases of sexual harassment on campus,” the NCW said.
It also noted the allegations that university security staff “roughly handled” the students during their protest. “There are complaints that instead of addressing the just demands of the students, the administration is trying to muzzle their voices,” the NCW stated in its letter.
It requested the Telangana DGP to conduct an impartial inquiry, take appropriate action against the alleged suspects and ensure the safety of students.
On 24 October, EFLU Vice-Chancellor (VC) E Suresh Kumar claimed that there was no disturbance in the university and the campus was peaceful and in order.
He added that the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the EFLU had conducted an inquiry into the alleged assault of the student and submitted its report.
Condemning the VC’s statement, the EFLU’s Women’s Collective (WCE) alleged in an unsigned statement that what the VC defined as “peaceful” was just a state of extensive fear that had gripped the campus.
It added that the students have been scared to “voice dissent” after the Covid-19 pandemic, and that the recent events of sexual assault and police brutality have only worsened the matter.
“If students gather at one place for some time in groups of more than three, the guards would start questioning them. The campus is currently virtually empty, and police officers are around every corner,” the collective said.
“Lights have been installed in the already well-lit spaces. There have been no attempts to install lights or CCTV cameras at the scene of the assault. Most public spaces inside the campus have been rendered inaccessible to students through vague circulars and verbal orders,” it claimed.
About the ICC, the collective claimed that it flouted the UGC guidelines, which state: “Persons in senior administrative positions in the HEI (Higher Educational Institutions) such as Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellors, Rectors, Registrar, Deans, Heads of Departments and others should not be members of ICCs to ensure the autonomy of their functioning.”
The collective also said: “Professor Anjali Bagde is the presiding officer of the ICC and also the dean of the School of European Languages, which is a violation. It once again raises questions about the transparency of the investigation and the power dynamics involved.”
The collective also claimed that “certain professors” have been calling students at odd hours and intimidating those standing in solidarity with the sexual assault survivor.
It alleged that the professors and students who went through the CCTV footage on the day following the assault had not been contacted in the course of the investigation. The VC had claimed that they were being contacted.
“The EFLU administration’s lack of maintaining transparency in this case is, therefore, a matter of serious concern for all the students,” the WCE said.
Protests rocked the EFLU on 16 October after the students demanded the reconstitution of the now-defunct anti-sexual harassment SPARSH committee.
However, on the night of 18 October, a postgraduate student said she was assaulted by two men near the old health centre area inside the varsity premises after which students staged a demonstration.
The next day, EFLU Proctor T Samson lodged an FIR stating that the 11 students provoked 200 students and allegedly “promoted enmity” and “incited violence” while protesting regarding the sexual assault incident in front of his residence.
He added that the Muslim Students’ Federation (MSF) planned to conduct a programme in support of Palestine on the EFLU campus to flare communal tensions and create disharmony.
Samson also claimed that the students used physical force, abused him, and prevented him from accessing drinking water or washroom facilities.
The EFLU faculty members, on 23 October, came out in support of students over the alleged sexual assault incident.
In a joint statement, the faculty members expressed pain over the insensitivity of some of the university authorities and condemned the actions of Proctor T Samson.
“The statement by professors speaks volumes. The environment in the university is such that whoever questions the vice-chancellor’s actions is either thrown out or transferred to Shillong or Lucknow. Some others have even lost their jobs. There is no freedom of speech in the university,” a professor told South First earlier, requesting anonymity.
Noting that Samson “officially summoned” the two professors named in the police FIR in the early hours of 19 October to assist him in addressing the situation, the faculty said the duo were being accused of instigating the students against the proctor based on fabricated and fanciful statements.
The proctor in his complaint said that students had forced him to call BS Sherin, an associate professor from the Department of Comparative Literature and India Studies, and Ipshita Chanda, a professor from the same department, and urged him to join the protest, which to him, seemed “highly dubious”.
Accusing the proctor of leaking the phone numbers of the faculty members, they said: “We see this police complaint as a breach of trust among colleagues who were involved in the matter only upon the proctor’s request.”
Meanwhile, the varsity on 22 October announced an extension of holidays from 24 October to 29 October, which the students called a “strategy” to divert attention from the protests and the alleged sexual assault.
