Mumbai Crime: Mathematics professor arrested for sexually harassing student

The Matunga police have arrested a professor working with a prominent engineering college in central Mumbai after one of his female students filed a case of sexual harassment against him. A Matunga police official said that the professor has been arrested under IPC sections 354 and 354A for outraging a woman's modesty.

As per the police, the girl filed the police complaint when the accused was in Karnataka on a vacation. The professor was produced before the Bhoiwada court on Saturday and remanded to judicial custody, and the police say they are gathering evidence against the man in the case. The incident took place on May 18 when the girl submitted a written complaint to the institute. The college officials then handed over the letter to the police two weeks after it was filed after there was significant political pressure on them for not taking action. Aditya Thackeray followed up on the incident with the institute and senior police officials and Amol Matele from Nationalist Students' Congress asked the institute to act against the professor.

As per Times of India, the institute's director told the paper that the letter was handed over to the police and that they were willing to help them in any way required. The director told TOI, "The institute conducts special classes in the summer for weaker students. The professor has been asked to not take these classes for now. The internal complaints committee at the institute, which is also probing the matter, is yet to submit its report. We will take action based on the panel's report." In her complaint the girl said that the mathematics professor made her wait for over two hours on the pretext of signing her summer term form. He then called her into his cabin and tried to molest and threatened to fail her if she didn't comply. The girl said that she returned to her parents the next day and complained to the institute.

Also read: Mumbai Crime: Wadala engineering college professor molests student, asks her to 'stay quiet'

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