Students at Banaras Hindu University began a protest on Saturday night after a professor accused of sexual harassment was reinstated, PTI reported.
Professor SK Chaubey of the Zoology department was suspended in October 2018 after some women students of his department accused him of sexual misconduct. He was accused of making vulgar comments and obscene gestures at women while accompanying them to a study tour to Odisha last year, NDTV reported.
In June, the Banaras Hindu University Executive Council revoked Chaubey’s suspension. But it barred him from taking classes and censured him. However, PTI quoted an unidentified student as saying that Chaubey returned to taking classes a few days ago, triggering protests on campus.
“He was suspended till the time the inquiry report came,” Banaras Hindu University Spokesperson Rajesh Singh said. “The highest decision-making body decided to give him the harshest punishment. The chief proctor, deputy chief proctor and the registrar have spoken with the students. They asked the students to discuss their issues with them.”
Singh said the students should stop protesting. “This decision [to revoke Chaubey’s suspension] was taken in June,” he said. “It is September now. I request them to tell us anything they want, but not protest in this way.”
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