IBA employee barred from varsity over harassment allegations

'Victim' denies being harassed; committee asked to complete inquiry, release report in a month

KARACHI:

A non-teaching staff member at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi has been barred from entering the varsity, following allegations of him harassing a female non-teaching staff member on the university's premises.

This has been confirmed by the IBA spokesperson.

The issue came to light after a faculty member notified the varsity's administration of the incident in an email and requested an inquiry.

Ensuing this, the accused staff member was barred from entering the university until the completion of the inquiry and the release of an inquiry report by an anti-harassment committee, headed by IBA associate dean Dr Sayeed Ghani, set up for the purpose.

On the other hand, sources privy to the development, requesting anonymity, disclosed to The Express Tribune that the employee identified as having been harassed denied the claim in an email.

She stated in the email that she felt sick while working and had called the accused for help, but students present at the spot painted a different picture, said the sources. Her email was read out loud during the first meeting of the anti-harassment committee on Sunday, they said, adding that the statements of students claiming to be eyewitnesses were also recorded.

While some of those students appeared before the committee in person, the statements of others were recorded via video link.

According to the students, some faculty members rushed to a room when they heard a woman's scream coming from there. Upon reaching it, they found its door locked from inside, the students narrated, adding that nobody opened it even after it was rapped multiple times.

Eventually, they told committee members, the accused came outside the room, shouting that a female staff member inside was not feeling well. Upon entering the room, they saw the woman coughing and holding her head, the students related.

According to the students, when the accused was asked why the door was locked, he replied that the woman was praying.

Sources told The Express Tribune that after the initial meeting, the matter appeared to be more about the violation of university rules than of harassment.

"Why was the room's door locked during working hours, especially when there was staff inside the room? And why would the female staff member pray in the accused’s room when she had her own separate room?" they repeated some of the questions raised by the committee.

According to the IBA spokesperson, CCTV footage of the incident was also viewed during the meeting, while committee members visited the site of the incident.

He further said that the committee had been instructed to record the statements of all relevant persons within seven days and release an inquiry report within a month.