A University of Hyderabad (UoH) professor was taken into custody for allegedly trying to misbehave with a foreign student, police said on Saturday.
The 62-year-old man was booked for allegedly outraging the woman’s modesty and the case was registered on a complaint by a university official.
The woman, a post graduate student from Thailand, is not able to communicate in English or Hindi and the services of a translator have been sought to record her statement, they said.
Police would proceed further based on her statement.
The accused professor allegedly attempted to kiss and hug her at his residence on Friday evening, they added.
The foreign student, who spoke only in her native language, was allegedly invited to the residence of the professor in the vicinity of the university campus late Friday evening as the latter insisted on sharing a book.
According to the complainant, he was alone at home, urged her to have alcohol and tried to take advantage of the situation.
The student lodged a complaint with the police with the help of another professor of the varsity, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Madhapur) K Shilpavalli told indianexpress.com.
He called her home on the pretext of giving her a book. He offered alcohol and she protested. There was no one else at home,” she said. “As of now, it is a case of outraging the modesty of the student. We are investigating. Unfortunately, she speaks only her native language,” the DCP added.
The police are hoping to get more details by getting a person who speaks the student’s language. A case was registered against the accused professor under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. “He is under arrest and is being sent to judicial remand,” the DCP said.
Meanwhile, the students’ union of UoH has issued a statement condemning the incident, alleging she was sexually assaulted. However, the police have clarified that it was not a case of sexual assault.
“We strongly condemn the apathy and deliberate incompetence of the administration in handling the issue,” the union said.
Further, the union added, “Despite the severity of the issue, the registrar ignored all the calls and preferred to sleep peacefully at his home while the student community gathered in support of the student the entire night. There was a deliberate delay and passing around of responsibilities by the concerned authorities.”
Giving a protest call, the union asked students and faculty members (teaching and non-teaching) of the campus community to gather at the main gate at 10 am Saturday to hold the authorities concerned accountable and demand immediate justice from the university administration.
“It is a crucial moment to come in solidarity to ensure safety for all the students of this campus,” the union added.
