KAKINADA: In the aftermath of the sexual harassment of female students by a Director of the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTUK), the University officials are paying special attention to the placement of stringent rules so that this kind of shameful behaviour is not repeated in the future.
The sexual harassment charges leveled against the Professor has brought out many lapses and shortcomings in JNTUK. It is evident that even certain basic principles in conducting examinations are not being implemented in the University. There should be CCTV surveillance in the labs and viva examination halls when the female students are being interviewed by the professors or examiners. Though surveillance cameras are installed in some of the departments, many of the cameras do not function properly.
Moreover, examiners are not following rules. According to University directives, two or more examiners have to be present during the interviews. In fact there are clear guidelines on this matter. But this vital rule is often found to be neglected by the professors.
In the past too, such sexual harassment cases have been registered in the University and that too in labs. In fact some of the examiners are still facing criminal cases. Five years back, one woman employee beat a Professor with chappals in the University. According to a Professor of the University, though such incidents are quite rampant, many of the cases do not come to light because of the hesitancy of the victimised female student or researcher in doing so. But with the sexually harassed female students of M.Tech department bringing the incident into the spotlight, the parents of the students are demanding that there should be greater security for their children in the University campus.
Under these circumstances, the JNTUK authorities are paying special attention.
