Bhubaneswar, Feb 29: The Odisha government Monday suspended a professor of the SCB Medical College after he was arrested on the charge of sexual harassment and assault of a girl student belonging to the Scheduled Caste.
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved a proposal recommending suspension of Prof Laxmidhar Das, the head of anaesthesia department,” an official at the chief minister’s office said.
Prof Das was arrested under sections 354 (A) (sexual harassment) and 354 D (stalking) besides the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Inspector A K Swain of Mangalabag police station in Cuttack said.
The arrest was made on the basis of a complaint filed by the PG student of the department. The student had earlier recorded her statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC and submitted an audio CD as proof of her charges.
Prof Laxmikant Das was sent to jail after his bail plea was rejected by a court in Cuttack on February 26.
The complainant hailing from Puducherry had alleged that Das had called her to the department on February 2 and molested her. She also alleged that the professor had been making sexual advances to her since September last year.
The accused professor had, however, said, “The allegations are baseless and concocted. I have never misbehaved with any girl student.”
