Times
of India: Rajkot: Tuesday, 11 November 2014.
Allegations
of sexual harassment have rocked Bhavnagar's Central Salt and Marine Chemicals
Research Institute (CSMCRI), one of the prestigious laboratories in the country
under the aegis of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Five women
employees at the institute have accused its chief scientist Professor Bhavanath
Jha of sexual harassment. The women include a PhD student, project assistants
and a research scholar working under Jha.
Jha is the
head of the discipline of marine biotechnology and ecology at CSMCRI and one of
the senior-most scientists of the institute. He is accused of demanding sexual
favours from the women on various occasions. When TOI talked to the
complainants, they alleged Jha used to touch them inappropriately and take them
out of town on the pretext of research.
Equally
shocking is the snail-paced progress made in the complaint, given that it was
lodged eight months ago. The women had approached CSMCRI's anti-women
harassment cell on April 25 with their complaint and later wrote to CSIR, New
Delhi, demanding action against Jha. They even lodged a complaint on the
government of India's public grievances portal on August 13.
"Due to
Prof Jha's unwanted favour-seeking behavior, many female scholars are forced to
leave the institute. It is depressing that we are still suffering despite
making complaints against a person on such a high post. We request you to
investigate the matter and take strict action,'' the complaint lodged on the
grievances portal alleges.
The women
also wrote to the Union human resource development ministry. Ultimately, they
were forced to file a right to information (RTI) application to know the status
of the complaints.
R K Kashyap,
administrative officer at CSMCRI, said CSIR has constituted a complaints
committee under the chairmanship of a director of one of its constituents.
"The committee will meet and initiate the proceedings,'' he said.
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