Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University woke up on Monday to posters pasted all over the campus, informing them that their students’ union president and joint secretary have cases of sexual harassment registered against them in its Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) cell.
“It was pasted overnight and was there when we woke up. Nobody knows anything about the incident though there have been several rumours,” said Sandip Singh, a Ph.D. scholar who saw one such poster on his way to class.
The posters were pasted by the union itself and signed by the president and the joint secretary. “We would like to inform the student community that a complaint in GSCASH has been filed against us...we feel that the student community have the right to hear this from their own representatives rather than rumours which are being unethically floated, violating the established norms and rules,” says the poster.
The two leaders also offered to step down and cooperate fully in case there is an inquiry. They feel that in order for the probe to proceed in a fair and free manner, it is crucial for concerned individuals in public positions to step down, regardless of their innocence or guilt.
However, the poster also says that this gesture should not be construed as an admission of guilt. The poster also states that they will not hold any public discussion or defend themselves as per the rules and has also appealed to the student community to “co-operate with our commitment not to discuss the complaint publically in any way and to reserve our facts for GSCASH.” Another appeal is to maintain the dignity and privacy of the complainant and to avoid or reject any speculation and rumour mongering.
Although the complaint was confirmed by the GSCASH, no more details were forthcoming. “I am bound not to talk about it by the GSCASH rules, so I will not be able to say anything about it,” said JNUSU president Akbar Chawdhary.
