Priyanka Tiwari
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Based on allegations of sexual harassment, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi has fired Professor Swaran Singh from the School of International Studies. Singh was an event’s university coordinator for the Japanese Embassy and had constant interactions with one of the officials, which later led to a complaint being lodged.
The court initially issued SWO orders after receiving audio recordings which served as prima facie evidence. Suspended audio recordings, along with other evidence, were presented during the executive council meeting at JNU and were found to be incriminating, leading to his dismissal right before retirement. He also stands to receive no retirement benefits under the new mandate.
Singh’s dismissal was not the only course of action JNU took. The university based on the recommendations of the internal complaints committee also decided to impose further sanctions.
To two of these professors’ surprise, they were met with three annual increments being snatched from them. Slightly off the hinges, one other faculty member was also told they would need to undergo sensitization training for unbecoming actions.
The new changes for members of the Centre for Historical Studies, School of Physical Science and Sanskrit Centre officially come into effect.
JNU Makes Change To University Restructure Policy
Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit remains unchanged affirming that policies regarding sexual violence and corruption in the organization are very aggressively enforced. She noted how the official shift in the policy to allow students as representatives into the ICC has a democratization effect.
Singh's Career and Previous Accusations
Professor Swaran Singh was affiliated with the Centre for International Relations and Diplomacy (CIPOD) of the School of International Studies. University officials have confirmed that the current complaint was lodged in May of last year with the university and that Singh had previously been a subject of complaint.
Report claims that Singh had to contend with at least eight cases of sexual harassment over the passage of time. He had to resign from JNU earlier because of such allegations, before finally getting reinstated as a professor.
Academic qualifications and Employment History
Having almost three decades of experience in teaching and conducting research in international relations, Singh received an MA, MPhil, and a PhD from Delhi University, along with undergraduate studies from JNU. In addition, he completed postdoctoral studies in conflict resolution in Sweden.
Subject to his previous accomplishments were the position of research faculty at the IDSA (1992-2001), Chief Vigilance Officer of JNU (2012-2014), and visiting positions at the University of Victoria and Peking University.
