Fifty-four professors of Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday demanded that separate First Information Reports be registered in all the eight complaints of sexual harassment against Professor Atul Kumar Johri, PTI reported. Johri, who used to teach in the varsity’s School of Life Sciences, resigned from an administrative role on March 16 after the complaints were filed against him.
The professors, in their petition to Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) Milind Dumbere, accused the police of not following proper investigation procedure.
“Even though you have received eight complaints, each of which reports incidents that are distinct and separated by space and time, you have chosen to register only one FIR under only one of the names,” their petition read. “We are shocked to learn this as the law requires that a separate FIR is registered for each complaint.”
The professors demanded that the statements of the complainants be separately recorded on Monday itself and that the police ensure that Johri does not contact the complainants.
They also asked Dumbere to ensure that the complainants’ health and safety are protected since they are reportedly being intimidated to reach a compromise with the accused.
“Atul Johri has a great deal of influence with the current JNU vice chancellor and his senior officials, who have neither removed him from various positions in the university hierarchy [nor] announced a major penalty proceedings against him, or even removed him as the supervisor of the complainants,” the petitioners claimed.
The JNU Students’ Union, which has been protesting for the past three days demanding Johri’s arrest, will march to Vasant Kunj police station later in the day.
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