New Delhi, Oct 14 A BJP Mahila Morcha delegation called on National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar on Wednesday, demanding action against Congress MP from Inner Manipur Angomcha Bimol Akoijam who was sacked from JNU over sexual harassment allegations.
The delegation, led by the party’s Mahila Morcha president Roop Kumari Choudhary, also urged the commission to ensure the safety of the 11 students who had complained against Akoijam.
This comes a day after a delegation of BJP women MPs met President Droupadi Murmu and sought her intervention for the suspension of Akoijam from the Lok Sabha.
After the meeting on Wednesday, Choudhary said the delegation drew the attention of the NCW chairperson to the “serious allegations” against the Congress MP and urged her to take cognizance of the matter.
She said the delegation told the NCW chairperson that though the JNU has dismissed Akoijam following an inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations against him, the Congress has not taken any action against him so far.
“We urged her to take cognizance of the matter, underscoring need to ensure safety of those 11 female students who showed courage to complain against the Congress MP for his misconduct,” the BJP Mahila Morcha president told reporters.
Besides leaders of the BJP Mahila Morcha, five women MPs of the party were also part of the delegation, she added.
On Tuesday, a delegation of BJP women MPs submitted a memorandum to President Murmu, seeking “swift and impartial legal” proceedings by the competent authorities against Akoijam.
The delegation also sought Akoijam’s “immediate suspension” from parliamentary proceedings pending the inquiry, citing the need to uphold “moral propriety and the dignity” of Parliament.
Akoijam, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)’s School of Social Sciences, was dismissed with immediate effect on October 9 following an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him, charges he has denied.
At least 11 female students had reportedly filed sexual harassment complaints against him in May this year. The complaints alleged that he invited students to his campus residence on the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them. Some students had also alleged that he made obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.
An FIR was registered against Akoijam on Sunday on charges of sexual harassment and insulting a woman’s modesty based on a complaint lodged by JNU’s chief security officer.
(PTI News)
