Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Former MPhil and PhD students from Jawaharlal Nehru University issued a statement on October 15 condemning the dismissal of Professor Bimol Akoijam. They argue the university bypassed due process. The inquiry report and the final order surfaced on the same day. This speed smells wrong. The scholars claim Akoijam never received the inquiry report before the university forced him out.
This sequence of events violates the principle of audi alteram partem. The signatories contend that any fair decision requires giving the accused a chance to respond. They also point to Section 16 of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, which mandates strict confidentiality. The group claims authorities leaked sensitive details to the press and social media. This fueled a public media trial. They argue these leaks caused immense mental trauma for Akoijam and his family.
The thirteen former students defend his teaching methods, noting his classroom focus on gender, sexuality, and politics. They frame his discussions on the male gaze and cinema as standard academic practice. Students cited theorists like Michel Foucault and Anthony Giddens to contextualize his curriculum. They reject accusations that he traded marks for sexual favors. One student stated, "They claimed that details of the allegations, the committee's findings and the dismissal order had circulated in the media and on social media, creating what they described as a parallel media trial."
The group insists that gatherings at his residence were for academic work, not predatory behavior. Signatories include T. Longkoi Khiamniungan, Jyoti Das, Rimlee Das, Himakshi Choudhury, Khadeeja Mangat, Sweta, Azad Pusham, Priyanka Kshetrimayum, Sushant Gaurav, Chabungbam Babina, Gopi Tadaka, Yusoof Ali, and Sanam Sharief Khan. They stand by their former mentor.
Comments