Prof Vijayakumar

sexual harassment

TISS Director Shalini Bharat

Ph.D student Preethi Krishnan

sexually explicit jokes

was accused ofby his PhD student Preethi Krishnan in October last year in a Facebook post.A Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) professor, who was accused of sexual harassment by a student in October last year during the MeToo movement, has been placed under compulsory retirement.The institute’s internal Disciplinary Committee submitted its report to the Director in March this year recommending suitable action against Professor P Vijayakumar, 59, the head of the Centre for Social and Organisational Leadership at the institute’s School of Management and Labour Studies.While Prof Vijayakumar had moved the high court challenging the Disciplinary Committee’s findings, he has moved a fresh application before the court seeking to amend his petition in light of the institute’s decision to send him into retirement.His application has been allowed. Prof Vijayakumar’s HC petition says that the case is completely false and that he was not given a proper opportunity to present his side. He has also cited several students coming out in his support.did not respond to calls from this newspaper on Friday evening.Messages left on her phone also went unanswered. Prof Vijayakumar too did not respond to calls. One of his lawyers said the complaint she was not authorised to react without checking with her client. The Disciplinary Committee had reportedly recommended Vijayakumar’s removal in March, this year.Prof Vijayakumar was accused of sexual harassment by hisin October last year in a Facebook post. The alleged harassment, which included physical assault, took place between 2004 and 2006. Krishnan had opted to submit a thesis under him.On one occasion, according to Krishnan, he kissed her at his apartment where he had called her to discuss her research. At other times, he made her sit on his lap, masturbated in front of her and would crackProf Vijayakumar also reportedly tried to claw his way into her life even after she left TISS. And when she fended off his advances, he apparently yelled at her for not responding favourably.