Kakinada: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTUK) Vice-Chancellor V.S.S. Kumar on Sunday assured the protesting students that Prof. K. Babulu would be removed as director of the Institute of Science and Technology and disassociated from MTech courses.
Prof. Babulu was accused of misbehaving with girl students during a viva exam. Rector K. Poornanandam has appointed incharge of the institute.
Prof. Kumar met MTech students, who were demanding the suspension of Prof. Babulu, and said later that a high-power committee headed by Mr Poornanandam had been constituted to probe the incident. Action would be taken on Prof. Babulu based on the report. He assured the students that Prof. Babulu would not be involved in any examination and would be posted to administrative duties.
The students demanded that he be either suspended or transferred to other colleges and staged a dharna in front of the JNTUK.
The police and university officials intervened. When the students did not budge, and started questioning them, Prof. Kumar reached the spot and promised action against Prof. Babulu. Earlier, the students told an inquiry officer that Prof. Babulu had asked them to sit close to them during a viva exam.
They told Ms N. Seetha Mahalakshmi, project director, women and child department, who had been deputed by the state government, that there was no second examiner in the room at that time. The viva was conducted on January 23, 24 and 25. The students first complained against Prof. Babulu on Saturday.
The students told Ms Mahalakshmi that Prof. Babulu would ask them a question and touch them. They told the officer that Prof. Babulu was known to be a stickler for rules, and could not believe it when he began touching them.
