Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 17 : The Education Department of Himachal Pradesh has dismissed three college teachers from service after departmental inquiries found them guilty of sexually harassing students, officials said on Thursday.
Those dismissed include Virender Sharma, Assistant Professor of Mathematics; Anil Kumar, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Sidharth Government College in Hamirpur district; and Pawan Kumar, Professor (Dance-Kathak) at Jawahar Lal Nehru Government College of Fine Arts.
The dismissal order, issued on April 16 by Secretary (Education) Rakesh Kanwar, stated that the charges of "moral turpitude and misconduct of the gravest order" had been proved against the accused teachers.
"The sanctity of the teacher-student relationship is founded upon mutual trust, dignity, and the assurance of a safe and secure educational environment. Any act of sexual impropriety directed towards a student strikes the very root of this relationship, undermines institutional discipline, endangers the safety and psychological well-being of students, erodes public confidence in the education system and brings disrepute to the government," the order read.
It further noted that the explanations submitted by the accused "failed to satisfactorily rebut the evidence on record" and "nor did it mitigate the gravity of the established misconduct".
According to the findings, Virender Sharma, while posted at Rajiv Gandhi Government Degree College, Chaura Maidan, was indicted for sexually harassing a second-year B.Sc. student on December 1, 2021. He was found to have initiated "inappropriate" personal contact with the student through messages and allegedly took her to his residence, where he attempted to establish physical contact against her will. The student resisted and managed to escape.
Anil Kumar, posted at Sidharth Government College, Nadaun, was found guilty of misbehaving with and sexually harassing a first-year B.Sc. (Non-Medical) student during a Chemistry practical class on November 14, 2024. The inquiry established that he repeatedly touched the student inappropriately. He was also accused of misusing his official position and absconding to evade the inquiry conducted by the college's women's grievances redressal cell.
In the third case, Pawan Kumar, while serving at Jawahar Lal Nehru Government College of Fine Arts, Loharab in Shimla, was found to have misused his official position by calling students to his residence for dance practice at odd hours, creating circumstances that compelled some students to stay overnight.
He was also indicted for attempting to molest a seventh-semester student on the night of January 22, 2024, and subsequently trying to hush up the matter. The inquiry noted that his wife had visited the complainant's native place to persuade her family to withdraw the complaint.
Additionally, he was found to have taken students to perform at the Governor's House on January 24, 2024, without prior permission. He was also accused of adopting a dictatorial attitude, misusing academic discretion in awarding marks, and failing to maintain attendance records.
Officials said all three have been dismissed from service with immediate effect.