BHU sends harassment-accused professor on long leave

The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has decided to send Professor S.K. Chaube, who has been suspended after he was found guilty of body shaming and making lewd comments, on a long leave amid protests against his reinstatement.

A BHU spokesperson said the decision was ordered by BHU Vice-Chancellor Professor Rakesh Bhatnagar on Sunday night, was to ensure the prevention of sexual harassment. The university has also re-circulated guidelines to all departments.

Varsity officials have sent Chaube's case back to the executive council to reconsider the revocation of his suspension.

However, protests continued on campus despite the Vice-Chancellor's order.

The incident came to light after some female students had complained that during a tour to Pune in October 2018, Chaube had body shamed some of them and also passed lewd comments. They lodged a complaint against the professor after returning from the tour.

After receiving the complaint, the Vice-Chancellor suspended Chaube and asked the internal complaints committee to look into the matter.

This June, the executive council decided to censure Chaube and revoke his suspension. After the decision, the Professor started taking classes in August.

The decision, however, did not go down well with students who alleged that Chaube needed to be punished for misconduct