JNU dismisses Congress MP and professor after inquiry into complaints by 11 students

University imposes dismissal after internal inquiry

Jawaharlal Nehru University has dismissed Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam with immediate effect following an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations made by 11 students, according to an order issued on Friday.

The order, signed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit, said the university had considered the findings of its Internal Committee and imposed dismissal after due process. The committee recommended a major penalty under the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965.

Panel report submitted with dissent

Official sources said the committee disagreed over the appropriate penalty. The presiding officer and other members supported a major penalty, while student representatives favoured a lesser punishment and did not sign off on that recommendation. The report was submitted with dissent after consultations with lawyers, the sources said.

Under the rules cited in the order, dismissal is among the major penalties. Unlike removal from service, dismissal ordinarily disqualifies a person from future government employment.

Complaints and inquiry timeline

The complaints were submitted on May 18. The report said the inquiry took longer than the 90-day period provided under the rules because of the university’s summer vacation, which ran from May 27 to July 3.

The allegations reportedly came to wider attention after a student described an alleged interaction during a viva in a students-only WhatsApp group. Other students then came forward. The complaints reportedly included claims of sexually suggestive remarks during vivas and classes, inappropriate advances at gatherings at the professor’s campus residence, and offers of higher marks in exchange for sexual favours. These remain allegations described in the report; the university said it acted on the committee’s findings.

Akoijam is a Congress MP representing Inner Manipur and teaches at JNU’s Centre for the Study of Social Systems, where his fields include social and political psychology and cultural studies. The professor did not respond to the publication’s request for comment before it went to press, and Congress had not issued a response at that time.