New Delhi, July 7: St. Stephen's College principal Valson Thampu today said he was being "chased like an animal" over a student's alleged sexual harassment as he blamed a "handful of people" for trying to trap him and called for a CBI probe.
Thampu, facing calls to quit from sections of students, teachers and women's bodies for allegedly shielding the professor accused of harassing a research scholar, was speaking today at a news conference organised by the Delhi Minorities Association. St. Stephen's is a minority institution.
Asked whether he would quit, the principal said he would if his "conscience tells me". He had yesterday said he would step down if it was proved that he was a "cause of embarrassment to the institution".
"I have done my best in the capacity of a principal... but at the end of the day I am a human. I have a wife and two daughters who also live in the society. Since the matter is sub judice, I appeal... that this constant character assassination of me as well as the college should be avoided," Thampu, flanked by former Delhi Minorities Commission chairperson Kamal Faruqui and social activist Swami Agnivesh, said.
The principal claimed there had been two unsuccessful attempts earlier to "trap me" in false sexual harassment cases. In this instance, the HRD ministry has asked the University Grants Commission to oversee a probe by a college panel. UGC officials yesterday visited the college.
Thampu said he was being "dragged into" the row, which he said was supposed to be between the complainant and the accused professor but had now morphed into one in which he had become the "principal offender". He then sought a CBI investigation, saying: "I want a comprehensive, unprejudiced inquiry to be conducted and the truth to be revealed."
"I also welcome the HRD ministry and the UGC for their intervention into the proceedings of the ICC," Thampu said, referring to the college's internal complaints committee.
He voiced suspicion, however, that the research scholar was being "coached to do a sting" at the behest of another teacher of the college. "The crisis has been manufactured and imposed on the institution. There is no substance to any of these controversies."
Thampu said he had advised the girl to file a case of sexual harassment before the complaints committee last December but claimed her family was reluctant. When the student handed a written complaint in January, it was sent to the complaints committee, he said, adding it was investigating the matter.
The student has, however, claimed that the principal had tried to persuade her not to press the matter as sexual harassment but "mention it as an academic problem". The student says she has recorded the conversation.
"The audio tape must be sent for forensic examination. The principal should step down till the probe is over," said Abha Dev Habib, an executive council member of Delhi University.
Thampu also referred to claims that a UGC probe official had been told by the college authorities that lack of resources and co-operation from other members had delayed the inquiry.
"If anyone from the college doesn't cooperate, I have all the authority to force them to do so. I cannot give a time-frame for the ICC probe to be completed."
