Combating sexual harassment — Pune Varsity takes up fight

“Traumatised girls have come begging to us, pleading for anonymity and complaining of professors and heads of departments who call them home to fix the date of a viva, or sanction a project report…and get away with physical or verbal sexual harassment,” Vidyut Bhagwat, director Women’s Studies Centre (WSC) UoP told The Indian Express.

Now awaiting approval of the management council, is a stringent and first-of-its-kind infrastructure of an action committee against sexual harassment of women on the University campus. Within seven days of receiving a written complaint addressed to the WSC director (also the action committee secretary), a preliminary inquiry will establish whether the offence warrants a prompt police complaint.

“If the offence is severe but not cognisable, then the complaint will be directed to an enquiry committee,” says Bhagwat. Comprising a retired judge, two senior women professors, a retired police official, a university administrative officer, the director WSC, a female representative with experience in women’s studies, and special invitees if necessary, the inquiry committee will record statements and call witnesses to establish the veracity of the complaint, nature of the offence and person responsible.

Senior authorities including the vice-chancellor, pro vice-chancellor, registrar, director women’s studies will be empowered to direct punitive action. For a minor offence the culprit can get away with a dose of rigorous counselling, a memo, an official letter of warning, or a three-year suspension of increments.

The verdict for harassment proved serious and prolonged, aims singularly at warning off potential offendors — a show-cause notice, suspension, demotion, compulsory retirement, honourable discharge or dismissal.

“Unless women are totally cornered, they do not dare to speak up,” says Bhagwat, adding that married women studying in hostels admit to putting up with harassment, afraid of outraged families ending their academic career.

Confronted with offenders crying out against “character assassination, because they never touched the victims,” the WSC, at present studying national and international analyses over the issue, will interpret sexual harassment as even continual derogatory remarks and abuse.

Once approved, the University’s action committee will dash off circulars to colleges to establish similar cells at the college level, with principals expected to submit an annual report to the University. Complaints from colleges landing directly at the University will be tackled in consultation with the respective college principal.

The task force that finalised these guidelines, was headed by Dr Sharadchandra Gokhale, and included retired justice P N Behare, principal Symbiosis Beena Inamdar, Dr Vidyut Bhagwat, Neelam Ghore, chairperson Stree Adhar Kendra.

Only in January this year, Sanvad, a women’s group, complained in writing to the vice-chancellor and the women’s studies centre, “to bring to the notice of authorities the increasing violence on the Pune University campus.”

“Several girls have complained of being hit by men on vehicles, exhibitionists and innumerable cases of verbal abuse. All these incidents are not necessarily during the eveningor night. Several girls who live on campus are hesitant to appeal because they feel it will only result in a restriction of their timings.”