Rajasthan professor demands sexual favours from university student, fails her on refusing to oblige; arrested

Kota, December 22

A professor of the Rajasthan Technical University here was arrested for allegedly demanding sexual favours from a student and failing her in his subject when rebuffed, police said on Thursday.

According to a police complaint lodged by the final-year student, the professor tried to mount pressure on her through one of her classmates. The classmate was also arrested along with him on Wednesday night, Deputy Superintendent of Police Amar Singh Rathore said.

After an FIR was registered based on the woman’s complaint, an audio recording of a conversation between the professor and the classmate surfaced on social media in which the professor was purportedly heard making vulgar comments about the victim, the police said.

The case against the professor was registered at the Dadabhari police station on Tuesday. He has been booked under sections 354 D (stalking) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, the DCP said.

Statement of the victim and another female student was recorded on Wednesday, after which the accused were arrested, he said.

“The complainant mentioned the name of another victim in her complaint. Statements of both of them were recorded. We are collecting details in the matter to ascertain how many other victims are there,” the officer said.

According to the complaint, the woman lives at the university hostel and the professor, through a male classmate, offered to pass her in an exam in return of sexual favours.

When she refused, the professor allegedly failed her in the final-year exam and later, repeatedly pressured her to accept his offer, it said.

The woman also alleged that the accused made similar advances towards other female students, and blackmailed and harassed them.