The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) has alleged that an inquiry into a sexual harassment complaint filed by 47 female students with the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the university was not properly looked into by the administration.
According to a PTI report, the JNUSU reported that on Wednesday, October 23, as many as 47 female students from the Centre for the Study of Social Systems (CSSS) submitted a joint complaint to the ICC regarding alleged sexual harassment and violence that occurred during the CSSS freshers' party at the Convention Centre on Tuesday, October 22.
JNUSU accuses administration of taking it as an "individual" complaint
Addressing a letter to Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, JNUSU has accused the committee of undermining the case and taking it up as an "individual complaint" instead of recognising it as a collective grievance.
In their letter, the student union said that the ICC had asked to nominate five student representatives to present the case but during the meeting on Thursday, October 24, the committee tried to intimidate the lone complainant pressuring her into a private deposition, when four other representatives arrived late, as per PTI.
The union stated that the committee's actions were aimed at negating the collective nature of the complaint.
Attempt to shield the perpetrator
Further, the students say that the presiding officer of the committee, Vandana Mishra, had brought in external staff from the Campus Security Office, which the JNUSU claims was an attempt to shield the accused.
The union also urged the university administration to guarantee a fair and transparent inquiry process, recommending that a student representative from the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) be present at all proceedings.
