Aligarh Muslim University: Caught in row

Lucknow, Jan. 23: An Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) lecturer facing sexual harassment stormed into her department with outsiders in protest, but ended up with a suspension for allegedly bringing in armed anti-socials.

Tanzeem Fatima, 34, had accused Ishrat Hussain, 40, her colleague in the university’s law department, of indecent behaviour and of humiliating her in public.

Last Friday, she charged him with using “filthy language with strong sexual insinuations” during an altercation in the presence of senior professors. But the matter was sorted out at the intervention of senior colleagues. Tanzeem, apparently, went back home reassured.

Yesterday, however, she reached the department, accompanied by her brother, father and four others.

Tanzeem claimed she wanted to talk to the department head about the humiliation she’d been facing, but other professors alleged that she was there to settle scores with Hussain.

“I was locked up in a room with my father and brother and bashed up by Hussain’s men. My car, parked outside the faculty, was burnt down,” Tanzeem has alleged in her FIR with Aligarh’s Civil Lines police station.

“The male chauvinism in the faculty is unbearable. No woman can work there. Another woman lecturer was forced to resign in 1996,” Tanzeem told The Telegraph.

Asman Beg, the university spokesman, said Tanzeem brought in criminals brandishing revolvers. “We sorted out the dispute. But she did something unprecedented yesterday by bringing in some anti-socials.”

Beg said the vice-chancellor has suspended Tanzeem and asked Hussain not to come to the department till a probe that has been ordered into the events is completed.

“The allegations are serious. She has filed an FIR against Hussain and four other students accusing them of assaulting her and causing physical and mental trauma by subjecting her to humiliation,” said Dhirendra Singh, inspector of the police station.

AMU students’ union president Nafis Ahmed said: “The battle between teachers is unfortunate. We want justice for the harassment, but we also condemn the way the lady teacher brought in anti-socials.”