Opposition from a CPM lobby has once again come in the way of Calcutta University taking action against a college principal found guilty of sexual harassment by a panel.

The president of the governing body of Harimohan Ghosh College in Garden Reach, who is also a leader of the CPM’s Calcutta district committee, has written to the university authorities requesting them to allow the authorities not to take action against principal Bikash Majumdar till January 15.

A number of women teachers of the college had lodged a complaint with the college and the university alleging that Majumdar had used inappropriate language while interacting with them.

A 10-member panel had probed the allegation against Majumdar. On the basis of its recommendations, the university had asked the governing body to take appropriate action against him by the last week of December.

A senior official said the university would now wait till January 15 before deciding on its course of action. The governing body of the college will meet on January 10.

Action against a teacher of Viharilal College of Home and Social Science has also been delayed owing to opposition by the CPM-backed Calcutta University Teachers’ Association.

In the Harimohan Ghosh College case, the West Bengal College and University Teachers’ Association, the state-level CPM-controlled body of college and university teachers, has demanded that Majumdar be punished.

“In his letter, Dilip Sen, the president of the college governing body, dismissed some of the allegations against Majumdar and suggested that further inquiry is needed into the matter,” said the university official.

The letter points out that Majumdar has served as the principal of the college for 11 years and introduced “a number of subjects and improved the academic standard”.

The other members of the governing body also support the principal, said a source.

“We need to find out why some teachers have suddenly raised questions on Majumdar’s behaviour after 11 years,” added the official.

“The teachers’ council had fixed the admission criteria last year without informing me. They brought false charges against me when I asked them not to admit students with low marks,” said Majumdar.

Sen refused comment.