Faridabad college scam accused picked on ‘weak’ girl students

Geetanjali Gayatri

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 1

A van driver’s daughter, she took admission in an all-girls college in Faridabad in 2016, hoping to become a cop some day. Three years later, she has blown the lid off a sordid scam involving three college staffers who allegedly sought sexual favours from students in lieu of “improved” grades.

Acting on her complaint, an associate professor, a lab assistant and a peon have been arrested.

She decided to expose the rot when approached by the accused. “One of them told me that I must accompany him to a hotel room. Livid, I entered into a heated argument but realised this would serve no purpose. So I played along, promising to ‘send a girl’ while I focused on collecting evidence each time they called me,” she says.

She recorded an audio clip and then a video clip. “I did this all by myself. The college set up a committee to look into my complaint, which was a mere eyewash. This propelled me to put up a complaint on the PM’s portal which invited media attention. The police registered a case and the matter went to the Haryana Women’s Commission with one of its members, Renu Bhatia, taking up my case,” she says. 

It later emerged that a complaint by two college teachers, who too were allegedly exploited by the accused, had been simply dumped.

The student was in her third semester when “first approached” by an accused. 

“They would contact girls who were to re-appear in an exam and assure them of higher grades in return for sexual favours. The associate professor would be the exam superintendent. They would keep a help book in an adjoining room and ask those weak in studies to consult it. As soon as the girls would try tearing a page or two, they would be told a case would be filed against them unless they agreed to sexual favours. 

“They either sought sexual favours or asked the victims to ‘supply’ girls. The college lab was one of the places used for such nefarious activities.” The gutsy girl says she is happy with herself for having stood up against injustice. She regards it as the first step towards realising her dream of joining the police force and protecting the weak and vulnerable.