Assam University Faces Firestorm Over Second Sexual Harassment Case in 2025, Seventh Since 2013

The latest incident surfaced when multiple students filed a sexual harassment complaint against Associate Professor Ajit Kumar Jena

Assam University, Silchar, has once again come under the spotlight for the wrong reasons, following the emergence of a second sexual harassment case in 2025, marking the seventh such case since 2013.

The institution, already grappling with credibility issues regarding campus safety, is now facing intensifying criticism from students, rights groups, and civil society.

The latest incident surfaced on May 4, when multiple students from the Department of Social Work filed a sexual harassment complaint against Associate Professor Ajit Kumar Jena. The students alleged that Jena had made sexually explicit and defamatory remarks, threatened to derail their academic futures, and attempted to coerce false support from them. The FIR filed at the Assam University Police Outpost details a pattern of intimidation and abuse of power, with students reportedly offering recordings, screenshots, and witness testimonies to support their claims.

Just months earlier, in February 2025, another disturbing case had emerged involving Faruk Ahmed, a clerk in the Law Department, who was accused of sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl on campus. The girl, a visitor with a relative employed at the university, accused Ahmed of molestation inside a university department. Though an FIR was registered under the POCSO Act, Ahmed reportedly absconded shortly after.

These two 2025 cases follow a troubling pattern of sexual harassment cases over the past decade:

2024: Biswajit Das, Law Department, was accused of molesting a sixth-semester BA LLB student after a departmental exam. Though initially suspended, he was later reinstated.

2019: Dr. Partha Sarkar, Mass Communication HOD, faced harassment charges and was suspended with subsistence allowance.

2018: Sudipto Sarkar (Agricultural Engineering HOD) and Nirakar Mallik (Sociology Professor) were suspended over sexual harassment allegations.

2018: Najmul Islam Barbhuiya, Interim HOD of Arabic, was sent to judicial custody following a police investigation into sexual assault claims.

2013: Shilajit Guha, Mass Communication Assistant Professor, was caught in a compromising position with a research scholar. The incident led to a judicial probe after sustained student protests.

The university has come under heavy fire for its delayed responses, lack of transparency, and investigations. Protesters and student groups are now demanding a complete overhaul of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and the immediate implementation of a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct.

As the outrage continues to grow, one critical question remains unanswered: When will Assam University become a campus where students and staff feel truly safe, heard, and protected?

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