A professor at a medical college on the outskirts of Bengaluru has been arrested on charges of sexual harassment after he proposed to a female student in a classroom, police said on Thursday.
The incident, which took place at the college in Nelamangala taluk, came to light on March 23 after videos of the proposal surfaced online. HT was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video.
In the video, the faculty member allegedly addressed students using a microphone and claimed that one of the students had earlier expressed romantic feelings for him. The student denied this allegation and confronted him in front of the class. In the alleged video, the student repeatedly asked for evidence and maintained that no such exchange had occurred.
While the confrontation in the lecture hall eventually subsided, the situation escalated shortly after the professor left. It is alleged that the student, accompanied by a number of his colleagues, confronted him again and was assaulted. Videos showed people hitting him with slippers while others were screaming.
Based on a complaint filed by the college principal on Thursday, a case was registered at Nelamangala Rural Police Station against the accused under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (1) (sexual harassment) and 329 (3) (criminal trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a senior police officer said.
According to the FIR, the complainant stated that the accused, an assistant professor, was behaving inappropriately on the college premises and sexually harassing students. She stated that students had previously filed complaints seeking protection.
The complaint also alleged that despite being banned from the campus, the accused entered the building on March 23, misbehaved with the student and also harassed others, police said.
(with PTI inputs)
