Bhubaneswar, May 6: Authorities of Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar, have removed its former dean in charge, acting on allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by an MTech student from Jharkhand.

“The institute has taken all possible steps. We have constituted a committee consisting of senior women professors and an Orissa High Court advocate. The accused professor, who was also the institute’s dean in charge at the time of the incident, has been removed from his position and asked to go on leave,” said registrar B.K. Ray.

The student’s research guide has also been changed following the complaint to ensure that she faces no problems in the future.

The student lodged the complaint on April 27 following which the institute formed a committee the next day to inquire into the allegations.

The dean in charge was removed on April 29.

“The committee will submit its report within three months based on which action will be initiated. Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty,” said Ray.

In another development, students have alleged that the institute is soft-pedalling the case, which shows a clear bias in favour of the accused. They demanded stern punishment for the guilty.

“It is shocking that such incidents happen in prestigious institutes such as this. We demand exemplary punishment for the guilty to prevent the recurrence of such incidents on the campus,” said a student, who preferred to remain anonymous.

This is the first time that a professor of the institute has been accused of an offence of this nature.

The student, in her complaint, said the senior professor at the school of infrastructure had been harassing her by trying to talk to her at odd hours in the night, at times over phone, and occasionally asking her to come out of her hostel.

The student, in her complaint, said the accused teacher even knocked on the door of her hostel room late at night and objected if she talked to her male friends.

She also accused the professor of torturing her mentally, trying to engage in “unnecessary” and “petty” talk with her.

He often asked her to come out of her hostel at Kesura, where both students and the faculty have been provided accommodation, and meet him. This, she said, had kept her under constant stress, affecting her studies.