The president of the National Students’ Union of India, the student wing of the Congress, has stepped down from his post following charges of sexual harassment, PTI reported on Tuesday. Congress President Rahul Gandhi accepted Fairoz Khan’s resignation, which was submitted on Monday.
Earlier this year, the student wing took suo motu cognisance after a former NSUI worker from Chhattisgarh levelled sexual harassment allegations against Khan. The complainant reportedly sent a letter to the media with details of several WhatsApp conversations between Khan and two others. The woman also filed a complaint against Khan in the Parliament Street police station in Delhi, saying that she feared for her life.
The party had set up a three-member committee to look into the allegations. It comprised All India Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev, Lok Sabha member Deepender Hooda and the party’s national media panelist Ragini Nayak, reported the Hindustan Times.
The woman had alleged that Khan “used to sexually harass young women” for political appointments in the NSUI. However, Khan claimed that the charges against him were “absolutely baseless and politically motivated” and that all his communication with the complainant had been through official mail.
The internal committee had submitted its report on Friday.
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