Tripura Professor Booked For Sexually Harassing Female Student

The Tripura police sent a notice to the accused, Bhupesh Debbarma, on Tuesday requesting him to appear at the police station, a day after the assistant professor at Tripura  Central University was accused of sexually harassing a student.

A student from the Sociology department claims that Debbarma, a faculty member in the Philosophy department, sexually assaulted her on Monday when she was taking her Philosophy viva. The student fainted as a consequence of the event and was taken to Tripura Medical College and Dr BR Ambedkar Teaching Hospital, where it was discovered that she had low oxygen levels. On Tuesday, she was seen leaving the hospital.

Tripura Professor Sexually Harasses Student

Jyotishman Das Chowdhury, an assistant inspector general stated that they lodged a complaint under sections 354 A (sexual harassment) and 509 (insulting a woman's modesty) of the Indian Penal Code against the accused and today's notification for the accused professor to appear in front of the police was delivered. He further added that he arrived this afternoon and they are still looking into this. Following the alleged sexual assault, activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) wrote to Vice Chancellor Ganga Prasad Prasain on Tuesday to support the student and request that the accused faculty member be suspended. Somdev Banik, the vice chancellor and dean of student welfare, spoke with the students and heard their worries.

FIR Lodged Under Sections 354 A (sexual harassment) And 509 (insulting a woman's modesty)

ABVP secretary Sanjit Saha elaborated in a media interview that they sought the faculty member's immediate suspension and assured them that the appropriate steps would be done by the university's policies. Additionally, he asserted that If their demand is not met, they will continue to protest until the victim receives justice.

According to sources, a university high-level conference will likely be scheduled to decide what internal measures should be taken against the accused faculty member.

To guarantee a thorough inquiry into all such situations, the institution has also urged anybody with comparable allegations to come forward.

Suggested Reading: Karnataka HC Denies Bail To Teacher Accused Of Sexually Harassing Students, Sets An Example