StudentsPledge Dated 03.03.2014 –
Sourav Ghosh, General Secretary, AIDSO has issued following statement to the press condemning the sexual harassment in GNLU and demanding stringent punishment for the culprits involved in the incident and the authorities who tried to hide the incident.
He said, “All India Committee of AIDSO strongly condemns the incidents of sexual harassment that have recently been reported at Gujarat National Law University. It is deeply disturbing that incidents of molestation, rape, discrimination, homophobia, favoritism, suppression of voices, and lack of existence of an internal complaints committee occurred within a University of National status.
The remarks of the Gujarat High Court prove that there is a lack of trust and confidence among students in reporting such incidents, as they do not observe any effort from the institution to deal with these kinds of issues. Every institution must prioritize the safety and well-being of its students, staff, and faculty. However, the entire administration of an institute as reputed as GNLU put its entire energy into hiding the incident and saving the culprit because of his political clout. Eventually, the Gujarat High Court had to intervene suo moto and form an Investigative Committee. Even though, it is a center of excellence in law education, there are no signs of ‘Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention) Act’ being implemented at GNLU.
We demand that not only the culprit of the incident but the concerned authorities of GNLU, including the registrar who lied before the High Court in an affidavit, be given stringent punishment. The authorities should take immediate steps to ensure all the democratic rights and safety of the students.”
