Women Commission summons Punjabi University faculty over workplace harassment complaint

The Punjab State Women Commission has summoned senior faculty members of Punjabi University, including Dean and Head of the Law Department and President of the Punjabi University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) Bhupinder Singh Virk, and former Registrar and Dean, Faculty of Law, Prof (Retd) Varinder Kaushik, in connection with an alleged harassment at workplace complaint lodged by an Assistant Professor from the Punjab School of Law, Punjabi University, Patiala.

Both professors have been directed to appear before the Commission on November 11 at 10 am at its Chandigarh office.

The Commission took cognizance of a complaint filed by the Assistant Professor alleging “continuous harassment.” In her complaint, she has claimed that she was being pressured to withdraw earlier harassment complaints filed against Prof Kaushik and Prof Virk, accusing both of exploiting their influential positions.

While Prof (retd) Kaushik was not available for comments, Prof Virk, however, has strongly denied the allegation, terming them “baseless and disappointing.” He said he would appear before the Commission to present his case, adding that such allegations have caused “irreparable damage” to his reputation.

He further stated that the allegations had already been examined by both the university’s internal committee and the police. “We have already submitted our statements before them,” said Prof Virk.

The complainant, who was employed for the university's Bathinda regional centre”, is currently teaching at Punjab School of Law.

Refuting allegations of victimisation or administrative interference, Virk said matters related to promotions and workload distribution are handled by a six-member committee chaired by the Dean, Academic Affairs, and the Administrative Department Committee, in which he has no role.