Report gives clean chit to JU girls

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, March 21, 2007

The report relating to the sexual harassment case filed by Monojit Mondol, lecturer of English at Jadavpur University (JU), has given a clean chit to the 16 students. The report, which was filed on Wednesday by the executive council meeting of the university, has recommended a CID enquiry at the ‘mystery’ behind Mondol’s complain.
Mondol had alleged that the students had written obscene words in their semester exam answer scripts and refused to submit them. The lecturer also alleged that his mobile phone was hacked and has filed a case with the Calcutta High Court alleging inaction on the part of the university.
The report has also asked the exam board to publish the results at the earliest. The executive council has also served a notice to Mondal to submit the 16 answer scripts within 24 hours.
The report has asked registrar Rajat Bandhyopadhyay to submit a report on Mondol’s activity, which lead to negligence of his duty as a teacher and maligning the name of the university. “I have submitted the report of the fact finding committee on Wednesday, the executive council has discussed it. We will ensure that justice prevails and the innocent do not suffer,” said registrar Rajat Bandhyopadhyay, who was in charge of the fact-finding committee.
The fact-finding committee has also alleged that Mondol did not cooperate during the enquiry. The report states that Mondol did not give his mobile phone to the university or to BSNL to investigate whether his phone was hacked. The BSNL has informed the university in writing that SIM cloning technology is not available in the city and to the best of their knowledge Mondol’s phone was not hacked. They have however pointed out that since the lecturer had not handed over his mobile phone, the hacking charge could not be pursued.
An executive council member said, “Mondol has not submitted the answer scripts which has made it impossible for the fact finding committee to do a forensic test and say who had written the obscene comments.”
The executive commission has asked Bandhyopadhyay to submit a report on Mondol’s negligence of duty. It will point out why Mondol had shown the answer scripts, which are confidential on television and why he has named some of the girls, who had allegedly written the obscene phrases in the answer scripts even when the charges against them were being investigated. The report will also point out harassment of the students, maligning of the university’s reputation in the media and non-submission of the answer scripts by Mondol.
The university has already sent a notice to Mondol urging him to submit the answer scripts. However, the lecturer is not ready to part with them. “The answer scripts is the university’s property, but according to our lawyer it can be kept with the petitioner if it becomes a crucial evidence in court. There is no question of returning the answer scripts,” said Baisakhi Banerjee, wife of Mondol.
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