New Delhi: Delhi Police on Monday registered a case against Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, days after his dismissal as a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University following an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment. Sections pertaining to offences against women have been invoked against him, according to police officials, with the formal case filed on the basis of a complaint lodged by the JNU administration.
The FIR has been registered under sections 75 for sexual harassment, including physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures, making sexually coloured remarks, and section 79 for insulting the modesty of a woman. Akoijam, who served as a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU's School of Social Sciences, was terminated with immediate effect on October 9. He has denied all the allegations against him.
Reports indicate that at least 11 women students filed sexual harassment complaints against Akoijam in May. The complainants stated that he invited students to his campus residence under the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them, while some students additionally alleged he made obscene and inappropriate remarks during classes. The police complaint was formally lodged by JNU's chief security officer, and law enforcement officials stated that an ongoing investigation has been initiated.
The police action follows Akoijam's public statements three days prior, wherein he characterized the university's disciplinary action as a "witch hunt" and asserted that he was denied an opportunity to respond to the internal committee's findings. In response to the developments, the women's wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party organized demonstrations outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi and also staged protests in Bengaluru.
The BJP has publicly called on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to immediately expel the accused parliamentarian from the party, urge his resignation from the Lok Sabha, and issue an apology to the 11 student complainants.