Mondal being taken to court on Wednesday. Picture by Krishna Das

Burdwan, Oct. 2: A Burdwan college professor has been arrested for allegedly beating up and molesting a lady lecturer who had sought reinstatement on the basis of a court order.

Today, after Tarakeswar Mondal was denied bail — he was arrested last night from his home — his son and a few of his friends ransacked a room in the court. They have been detained.

Burdwan police chief S.M.H. Meerza said as the boys who ransacked the courtroom were students, they were “just detained”.

Mondal, the coordinator for courses of Bachelor in Computer Application (BCA) and Bachelor in Business Administration (BBA) at Raj College, has been remanded in five days’ judicial custody on the basis of a complaint lodged by the lecturer’s father a month ago.

The professor, who had been absconding since the FIR was lodged against him on September 2, said he had been “framed”.

According to sources, the lady lecturer joined the college eight years ago on a yearly contract basis. In December 2010, the tenure of her contract was increased to five years.

But a letter signed by Mondal, issued on July 26, 2011, asked her to leave the job within a month as the college was facing a “financial crunch”.

The lecturer moved Calcutta High Court, which issued an interim order on September 2 this year that stayed the notice issued by the college and allowed the lady to continue teaching in Raj College as a BCA lecturer.

“When I met him on September 2, the course coordinator abused me, beat me up, pushed me to the floor and molested me. My right arm was fractured and I suffered bruises on my forehead. I had to be admitted to a nursing home for a week,” the woman said today.

She said the college principal remained indifferent to her repeated pleas.

“I had written to principal Subhas Nandi thrice, requesting his intervention. But he remained indifferent,” she said.

Several attempts by the correspondent to contact principal Nandi over phone proved futile.

On his way to jail today, Mondal said he had been “framed” and the lady lecturer “has the backing of prominent Trinamul leaders”.

Mondal also accused the police of acting at the behest of senior Trinamul leaders, among them minister Malay Ghatak.

Mondal is himself the member of the Trinamul-backed West Bengal College and University Professors’ Association.

Ghatak, when asked about Mondal, said: “We have not interfered in the professor’s case. Why should we? There are non-bailable charges against him and law will take its own course.”

The lecturer today said as she was a member of the CPM-backed West Bengal College and University Teachers Association, she was singled out.

According to her, she had been appointed with a monthly salary of Rs 17,500 for five years in December 2010. The lecturer alleged that her remuneration had been slashed to Rs 12,500 after a few days.