PU Senate dismisses Asst Prof

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

In a first-of-its-kind case, the Panjab University (PU) Senate on Sunday dismissed Assistant Professor Komal Singh of the department of public administration from service for repeated acts of sexual harassment. However, he would have the option of seeking a job outside the PU.

Komal Singh was facing four cases of sexual harassment. The Panjab University Committee Against Sexual Harassment (PUCASH) held him guilty in two cases, while the other two ended in a compromise.

The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Arun Kumar Grover, had given a call to the Senators to be present to ensure a two-thirds strength. However, some members said as per the PU calendar, only two-thirds of the members present were required to take a decision on dismissing a faculty member. On April 1, voting had taken place on whether he should be demoted or dismissed. As many as 18 voted in favour of demotion and 32 in favour of his dismissal, but it did not constitute a two-thirds strength.

Professor Grover on Sunday admitted that it was his folly that the choice of demotion was offered as Komal Singh could not be demoted as he was already in the grade pay of Rs 6,000.

On April 5, PUCASH had written to the VC that their recommendation for a major penalty against Komal Singh should be accepted and all his misdemeanours should be taken in totality.

Those on Komal Singh’s side

Emeritus Professor Akhtar Mahmood, a nominated senator, said, “You (VC) are misleading people with misinformation to change their minds.” He called the papers related to sexual harassment as “garbage”.

Dr Ajay Ranga called the VC biased and claimed the case against Komal Singh was at his behest.

The secretary of the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA), Prof JK Goswami, also came out in support of Komal Singh and claimed that the documents related to sexual harassment cases were in contravention of the principle of natural justice.

“He has not been given a chance. Can PUCASH members give an affidavit that all rules were followed while deciding the case,” he asked.

Prof Chaman Lal was against Komal Singh’s dismissal and said he could be punished in some other way. He suggested that he could be demoted to a research officer or could be sent on one-year leave without pay to a de-addiction centre. He also raised questions over the legality of PUCASH to which the VC objected.

Those against him

Prof Sandhir said action against Komal Singh would instil confidence in students. Even in the recently concluded case of molestation against Dr Devinder Preet Singh, students used to say nothing would materialise as in the case of Komal Singh, he said.

Former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal called for punishment. Chandigarh BJP unit president Sanjay Tandon asked the senators, who were defending him, whether they could send their daughters to such teachers.

Cases against Komal Singh

1 Komal Singh had helped get a hostel room for an outsider girl in 2014. He called her outside her hostel and allegedly misbehaved with her and asked her to sit in a car. She had to make a police complaint. Komal Singh submitted an apology to the police, but he had to leave his chairpersonship because of the complaint.  

2 On September 10, 2015, an MA student lodged a complaint against Komal Singh as he indulged in “sexual talks” with her. The victim said on September 4, 2015, Komal Singh rang up her and said, “Teri ankhen badi sundar hai, meri wife se milti hai (your eyes are very beautiful and are similar to my wife’s). Teri ankhon mein bada dard hai (there is pain in your eyes), and I love you, I love you.” PUCASH held him guilty.

3 Komal Singh used sexually coloured abusive language and pulled the hair of a third-year student. He was allegedly drunk. PUCASH, in its report dated May 31, 2017, commented that “repetitive misconduct always warrants more stringent punishment” and called for a major penalty against him.

4 Seventeen MA-I students of the public administration department complained that on August 29, 2017, he introduced students to an acronym KISS, which, according to him, stood for knowledge, information and society. He then added, “Ae tuhade vale kiss di gall ni mai kar reha (I am not talking about your version of kiss). Then he told students that he was a fakir in a Punjabi accent and added, “F**k vala ni.” He first threatened a girl that he would slap her and then slapped her. “Moreover, he was calling girls individually to his office. He crossed his limits saying “I love you”. This was very offensive and wasn’t bearable, said students. Komal Singh had to apologise for his conduct in this case and the issue was settled on January 23.