Cuttack: Police probing the case against three teachers of SCB Dental College and Hospital has found no prima facie case of sexual harassment against them after examining and grilling the witnesses.

A postgraduate (second-year) student of the oral and maxillofacial surgery department had levelled sexual harassment and assault allegations against a senior resident, an associate professor and head of the department at Mangalabag police station on October 9.

Mangalabag police station inspector in-charge Arun Kumar Swain said: "We have finished interrogating the three accused teachers - Krishna Gopal Birmiwal (senior resident), Niranjan Mishra (associate professor) and Indu Bhusan Kar (head of the department)."

"We have also examined three witnesses named by the complainant, along with three other witnesses listed by the investigating officer. But no prima facie case against the accused persons has been found," Swain said. "However, investigation is on."

The 26-year-old student from Uttarakhand - Himani Joshi - had alleged "sexual harassment and assault" against the trio.

According to police sources, Kar had said the allegations were false and concocted. On October 6, the complainant was supposed to attend an emergency call in the casualty department but when the senior resident called her up, she did not answer the phone call. The next day, the senior resident had complained about the incident to his senior, the associate professor, following which the matter was brought to the department head. When Joshi came to him, he asked her to do her duties sincerely.

The other two accused teachers corroborated Kar's statements. The allegations were also not corroborated by the statements of the six witnesses, police sources said.

Joshi alleged that Mishra and Birmiwal had made sexual advances towards her several times. But when she showed no interest, they had threatened her in many ways.

"I am mentally and physically harassed by this type of attitude and the duo's behaviour," Joshi had alleged.