A senior professor and Head of the Medicine Department at Raipur’s Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Medical College has been booked for allegedly sexually harassing a female medical student, as per a report by Medical Dialogues.

The doctor, who is in his forties, has also been removed from his position as Head of Department (HoD) following an internal inquiry by the college.

The incident reportedly occurred earlier this year, between January 2 and 10, and involved obscene behaviour directed at the student. According to a senior police officer, the student initially approached the college administration to report the professor’s inappropriate conduct. The institution conducted an inquiry through its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), commonly known as the Vishakha Committee, and submitted a report to the government.

Subsequently, the student filed a police complaint. Based on her statement, a case was registered under Sections 74 (Assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 75 (Sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act, 2023.

Police attempted to arrest the accused by visiting his residence, but found that he was missing. He is currently absconding, and efforts are underway to trace him.

When contacted by The Indian Express, the Dean of the college stated that the administration had not been informed about the police complaint and was learning about developments through the media.

Meanwhile, student protests have continued at the college over a lack of hostel accommodation and rising exam fees, with safety concerns being a major issue.