#MeToo: 106 students alleges harassment charges against Symbiosis director; university asks him to go on leave

Amidst the #MeToo movement raging across the country, the educational institutions have now come into the scanner, as 106 students signed a petition alleging sexual harassment charges against the director of Symbiosis Centre for Media and Communication, Anupam Siddhartha.

The students who have levelled allegations are both current and alumni of SCMC, who have given graphic details of the harassment and misconduct committed by the director over a period of several years.

The university has taken the cognizance of the report on the allegations and has sent the director on leave, without any specific date of return, until an internal investigation is completed.

The principal director of Symbiosis International University said in a statement that “There was already an internal complaints committee, which had been set up to look into the allegations raised in the past, some of which were against Siddhartha for not taking action on complaints of harassment against other faculty and in earlier cases. However, in the midst of this, we recieved this letter on Friday evening, signed by 106 students. While Siddhartha was known to be a disciplanarian, some of the allegations were shocking and we immediately referred it to the ICC, who called him on Saturday for investigations. Based on the recommendation of the ICC, which has said that he should stay away from campus duties pending an inquiry, he will be sent on leave from Monday.”

The petition filed by the students and signed by over 100 students of the university is again a signal towards misconduct and harassment happening not only at workplace but even at the educational institutes are compromised.

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