Bengaluru: The Maharani Women's College on Sheshadri Road has been making news for all the wrong reasons of late, but setting its affairs in order may not be easy as politics and divisions among the faculty are deep rooted, say insiders.
With the faculty divided on caste and ideology lines, groupism has vitiated the college environment for several years, and has been affecting the students too, they say.
“In March last year some of the students got into a physical fight over the transfer of a lecturer. It is not easy to destroy such groupism,” said a faculty member.
Even a lecturer, who has been suspended over charges of sexual harassment, has reportedly claimed he is the victim of college politics. The fact that complaints of sexual harassment were lodged against another six lecturers on the day of the visit of the VS Ugrappa committee is also viewed with suspicion by some.
A few past students agree that the infighting, which has gone for long among lecturers at the college, can take a serious turn occasionally. "Animosity among lecturers is common in most colleges, but here it leads to victimisation of rivals," an ex-student said.
Many ex- students of the college believe that an impartial probe must be conducted into the allegations of sexual harassment to make the students feel safe.
"This time seven cases of sexual harassment are pending investigation. The government must ensure that the culprits are punished. If any lecturer has tried to malign the image of other lecturers by using his favourite students to complain against them, he or she too must be punished," they added.
Probe officer fails to visit college
The state government on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment of students by the faculty at Maharani Women's College.
Ms Manjushri N., CEO, Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat, was appointed the inquiry officer. But Ms Manjushri, who was supposed to start the inquiry, did not visit the college at all on Wednesday, college sources said. "We don't know when is the next date of inquiry," they said.
