New Delhi, Nov 11 The Congress on Wednesday set up assembly election- related panels for Manipur, with party MP and professor A Bimol Akoijam, who was recently terminated by Jawaharlal Nehru University over sexual harassment allegations, named to three key poll panels of the party.
Akoijam had called his dismissal a “witch-hunt” and questioned the due process followed by the university.
The Pradesh Election Committee set up by the Congress comprises 24 members and additional ex-officio members with Manipur Congress chief Ibobi Singh named as its chairman and includes the likes of K Meghachandra Singh, Gaikhangam, Victor Keishing, T Manga Vaiphei, T N Haokip, M Okendro, N Loken Singh and MPs Alfred Kanngam Arthur and Akoijam, among others.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also named a 26-member campaign committee with Lokeshwar Singh as its chairperson and T N Haokip, M Okendro, N Loken Singh, and MPs Arthur and Akoijam among its members.
The manifesto committee has 18 members with Gaikhangam as its chairperson and MPs Arthur and Akoijam as its co-chairpersons.
The party also set up a 16-member media and publicity committee with Loken Singh as its chairperson and a four-member Election Management Committee with Okendro as its chairperson.
The Congress also nominated three additional general secretaries and a secretary to the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee.
Elections in Manipur are likely to take place early next year.
A Delhi court last Thursday directed the city police to give seven working days’ prior notice to Congress MP and dismissed Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor Akoijam before taking any coercive action against him in a sexual harassment case.
Disposing of Akoijam’s anticipatory bail plea, Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh said the notice would be mandatory if the dismissed professor needs to be arrested.
In its order, the court said the crux of the matter is that against the applicant (Akoijam) there are allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate professional conduct.
The court noted that Delhi Police had submitted that it was not presently contemplating Akoijam’s arrest, given the nature of the allegations and the stage of the investigation. However, if any material change during the probe necessitated his arrest, the investigating agency would serve a seven-day written notice on him.
On November 2, the Delhi High Court stayed the JNU administration’s decision to terminate the services of professor Akoijam, issuing notice to the university on the Congress MP’s petition challenging the dismissal order. This case has been listed for hearing in January.
(PTI News)
