Bimol Akoijam’s former students say JNU dismissal ‘flawed, politically charged’
Shillong, Oct 17: As Congress MP from Inner Manipur, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, prepares to challenge the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s decision to dismiss him over allegations of sexual harassment, a group of former MPhil and PhD students has released a statement saying the dismissal is “procedurally flawed and politically charged”.
In a statement to the media, the former students of Bimol from the Centre for the Study of Social Systems said, “We outrightly reject the allegations and major punishment lashed out at him which is akin to poisoning Socrates for teaching critical thinking. The confidentiality of the case was not safeguarded. And, the media trial was carried out on ‘sexual favours for extra marks’, an allegation that is not at all mentioned in the complaint. This is a mockery of the long years of service, selfless dedication and passion with which he has shaped several young minds across different batches, including us.”
The students’ group condemned the breach of confidentiality, saying the process is compromised and the respondent is denied a fair chance to respond free of public prejudice.
The allegations against Bimol come at a time when the Opposition, especially the Congress, has been severely critical of the BJP-led central government about the chief election commissioner’s role and the procedural fallacies in the SIR exercise. Bimol himself was fiercely critical of the BJP government for maintaining silence on the Manipur conflict and not making an effort to stop the ethnic flare-up.
