Panel confirms harassment in varsity

Students had alleged that two rapes were covered up

Rajasthan Commission for Women on Sunday submitted its report to the chief minister on alleged cover up of two rape cases in Banasthali Vidyapith in Tonk district that triggered student unrest, in which it confirmed that molestation incidents had taken place in the university.

“It was confirmed in our investigation that there were incidents of sexual harassment of girls and one of them was by an ambulance driver, who was arrested after they (students) protested last month,” Laad Kumari Jain, chairperson of the commission, told reporters here.

The commission, however, could not have ascertained whether the alleged rapes took place and recommended a detailed and fair investigation into it.

The chairperson on Sunday handed over the report to chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

No security

The report also highlighted nepotism, poor security arrangements, lack of supervision, triviality towards students’ issues and lack of grievance redressal mechanism among the other irregularities in Banasthali Vidhyapith, a high-profile fully residential women's deemed university.

Jain said those who hold key positions in the university are close relatives, and the decision making is centralised and all the power lies with the vice chancellor Aditya Shastri.

Over a thousand girls went on protest last month in the Vidhyapith campus in Niwai town alleging that two girls had been raped on separate occasions recently but the management had covered up the cases.

The case of alleged rapes had been lodged with Niwai police station there.