Cuttack: Three female teaching staff of Ravenshaw University, who has brought mental harassment charges against some male faculty members as well the authorities of the univeristy, did not depose before the Fact Finding Committee of the university on Wednesday to present their side.
The committee formed by the Vice Chancellor had asked Anjuman Ara of Hindi, Anita Das of Sociology and Associate Professor Sanhita Padhi of Botany department to appear before it to record their statements today. But none of them deposed before the committee.
Explaining her non-appearance, Padhi said, “I received a letter asking me to depose before the university’s Fact Finding Committee at 1.30 pm today. To appear before the committee, I need at least one day to prepare my deposition.”
“Besides, the internal committee comprising university officials should take me and the two other complainants into confidence. This is an issue to think about,” she added.
“We are ready to depose before an independent committee. There is no problem in presenting our side before the Crime Branch either,” Padhi emphasised.
Notably, Padhi had filed a mental and sexual torture complaint against a senior professor in her department in August last year.
After Padhi, Hindi department’s Ara and Sociology department’s Dash have brought similar allegations.