Harassment charges: Arid varsity teacher stopped from taking classes

A seven-member committee is conducting an inquiry.

RAWALPINDI:

A teacher at Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, facing harassment charges has been restrained from taking classes till the final outcome of an inquiry being conducted by a committee, sources told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

The seven-member Harassment Monitoring Committee, comprising senior professors and headed by Dr Azra Khanum, is conducting the inquiry of the case. Other members of the committee include doctors Kausar Nawaz Shah, Azeem Khalid, Ghazala Kaukab, Murtazaul Hassan and Rabia Imran and Assistant Professor Rubina Ghazal.

However, Dr Muhammad Azeem Malik, who was appointed chairperson of the newly formed committee on April 18, said he was unaware of the case.

“I have not received any complaint of the sort, nor have the records of any inquiry proceedings by my predecessor,” said Dr Malik. However, he said that since the case is with the earlier committee, it will complete the inquiry.

The harassment case surfaced, when a man alleged that his daughter had been pestered by the teacher, who, when contacted, denied the charges.

The man in a written complaint has urged the university administration and the head of the department where the teacher teaches, to help out his daughter, who is so terrified that she is not ready to go back to the university.

“On March 31, the teacher called my daughter in his office after an evening class and spoke to her using obnoxious language. Then on April 7, the teacher intercepted my daughter in the parking area and communicated some unacceptable words,” claimed the man, a provincial government employee, in a complaint lodged on April 17.

“My daughter stopped attending lectures due to the harassment and is under great emotional stress,” the complainant further wrote.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the complainant said he approached the head of department and got his daughter’s section shuffled.

“It is not easy for a father to report such matters in our society, but purely for the safety of other female students and the improvement of the academic environment, I decided to complain and seek justice,” said the man, adding that he was more concerned about other students than penalising the teacher.

The complainant said he also heard reports from other students about the teacher’s ‘inappropriate behaviour’.

“It has been seven days since I filed the complaint, but I have yet to receive a response from the university administration,” the man said.

On the other hand, the teacher termed the allegations “baseless” and “merely a misunderstanding”, saying he had been associated with the Arid Agriculture University for the last ten years and would never think of harassing any of his students.

“A senior male student had made friends with the girl and in bid to get her attention or get close to her; he used my name and my office. The boy sent text messages to the girl claiming I had called her to my office. After I learnt about the situation, I warned the boy to stay away from me,” claimed the teacher.

“I have full confidence in the inquiry team of the university comprising of senior teachers and I shall accept whatever decision they took”, said the teacher requesting not to be named.

“The girl in question is weak in [the subject I teach] and the senior boy used this to get nearer to her by claiming that he was on good terms with me,” the teacher further explained.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2012.