Girl student lodges complaint of rape against senior teacher in Odisha
By Nalini Sahu
Bhubaneswar, Aug. 3: A girl student of Jayadev College of Education and Technology at Naharkanta on the outskirts of Odisha capital Bhubaneswar was allegedly raped and sexually harassed by a senior reader of the institution.
The girl student through her representation on July 25, 2022 has levelled charges of sexual harassment and rape against Pramod Ranjan Dash, reader in physics and National Cadet Corps (NCC) officer (Naval Wing).
The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) constituted at the college level immediately took up the matter and conducted a preliminary enquiry.
The Internal Complaint Committee of the College did not find any “concrete evidence” of the allegations brought by the girl student. However, the higher education department has transferred the reader in question to Kuchinda in Sambalpur district.
As the girl questioned the findings of ICC, the higher education department has written to the principal of the college asking him to conduct a thorough probe into the matter.
“However, this needs to be thoroughly enquired into as per the procedure laid down in Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013,” the higher education department wrote in the letter to the principal.
“In view of the above, you are requested to place this complaint before the Local Complaints Committee (LCC) of the district constituted under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 for enquiry and necessary action,” higher education department additional secretary Surendra Kumar Panda wrote.
The reaction of the college authorities and the accused could not be obtained.
