Inquiry panel for blocking three increments, keeping him off from warden’s post
Nagpur News.
The imbroglio that rocked the Nagpur’s prestigious Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) seems to be surfacing its ugly face again. The inquiry committee which was formed to probe alleged molestation of a girl student by institute’s assistant professor Shriram Sonawane held the latter guilty of the act. The probe team has not only recommended for blocking Sonawane’s three consecutive increments but also suggest to keep him away from warden’s post, remaining on which he committed the shameless act. This has brought another round of embarrasment for the institute’s higher authorities who were trying to defend Sonawane and instead annulled the girl’s semester. However, the girl was later allowed to sit in the examination after the court’s intervention into the matter.
Sources however told Nagpur Today that the recommendation could only be brought to action after the Board of Governor (BoG) allows its implementation. BoG Chairman Prof SK Joshi would be taking the final call by the July end, sources informed, adding that before any final say he would be seeking individual opinion of all the members in the probe panel. It is interesting to note that only after the incident took place, the director’s post at VNIT which has been lying vacant for past years was filled. Narendra Chaudhari has been appointed as new director of VNIT.
The lecturer had allegedly molested a second semester girl from chemical engineering department in his official chamber on April 3. An FIR to this effect was lodged at Ambazari police station the same day, however police remarkably failed to initiate any action in this regard.
When Nagpur Today contacted Kothari in this regard, he refused to take the call and went on to say that he was not “Kothari” and it was wrong. This, despite the fact that he had talked to Nagpur Today through the same number on previous occasions.
Later when the students came out to protest against Sonawane, an independent inquiry committee was hurriedly formed under AG Kothari, a lecturer from electrical engineering department to look into the matter. During the course of probe, the judge, who led the team, interacted with a host of students and officials along with the key persons involved in the case.
Interestingly the panel had earlier recommended Sonawane’s suspension and asked for disciplinary action against the victims, the college punished latter by annulling their full semester for daring to speak against the lecturer.
The panel in its latest report has also recommended mild punishment to the students, but VNIT had annulled their semesters. “Since the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court had given respite to them, the BoG will later take decision on it. I can’t comment much on that,” he said, adding that final decision would be made by their newly appointed director Narendra Chaudhari.
VNIT lecturer Shriram Sonawane found guilty of molesting girl