SC/ST panel summons sex harassment victim

Research scholar Sarita had complained against her guide

The letter came from Section Officer Devnani of the SC/ST Commission, New Delhi, asking her to appear for an inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment she had made against Prof Shivabasavaiah, her former guide and now suspended chairman of the Department of Zoology, Mysore University.

This happens to be the sixth inquiry that has sought Sarita’s presence, apart from the four committees that had inquired into her case so far, after she attempted suicide in March.

Sources close to Sarita’s family said the SC Commission’s letter mentioned that the inquiry was being set up after Shivabasavaiah lodged a complaint with it.
Sarita is expected to be present in Delhi for inquiry on July 18, just a week away from the date of receiving the letter, which does not say who would foot her travel bill.

In a written statement on Monday, Sarita had said she would not be able to depose before any more committees or inquiry panels.

Last week, she had sent a written request to Vice Chancellor V G Talawar that the statements she had given to other panels could be deemed fit for inquiry by fresh panels.

By then, Sarita had recorded her statements before four committees -- Mysore University’s Women Harassment Complaints Committee, the State Human Rights Commission, the State Women’s Commission and the Department of Police.

Of these, one committee, which the Supreme Court deems most important, had already submitted its report to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mysore indicting Shivabasavaiah after conducting 12-14 inquiries.

The Vice Chancellor, in turn, brought it to the notice of the Syndicate on June 24.

But the Syndicate dodged the report and said action would be taken only after the single-member committee — which was not set up even after a good few months into the case — submitted its report.

In the meantime, the State government has also sought the ‘action taken’ report from the University of Mysore by the month-end.