KARACHI: An inquiry committee comprising senior teachers of Karachi University found a fellow teacher guilty of sexual harassment, it emerged on Wednesday.

The inquiry report was submitted to the KU vice chancellor a few days ago. It took the committee almost two months to complete the inquiry, though the report was supposed to be submitted within 10 days.

According to sources, the teacher appointed at the social work department had been accused of sexual harassment by many students. Upon contact, the KU registrar said: “Yes, the report has been submitted. But it is with the vice chancellor and is confidential.”

The KU vice chancellor was not immediately available for comments.

The report with recommendations would be submitted before the university syndicate for action.

Speaking to Dawn, students expressed little hope that the teacher would be punished and said that the university had a poor record of punishing teachers allegedly involved in immoral activities.

“There is likely to be another inquiry in which the teacher would be absolved of all charges and declare innocent. This is what had happened earlier,” said a student while referring to a case in which another teacher facing similar charges was reinstated after a gap of two years in 2014.

In the same case, the sources said, the KU administration had instituted two inquiries: the first inquiry found the teacher guilty and recommended punishment for him. But for some unexplained reasons, another inquiry was initiated that absolved the teacher of the charges. The inquiry report was presented at the KU syndicate meeting last November and the teacher was reinstated.

Meanwhile, there has been no progress in a case of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ against a male teacher (of the Urdu department) who took classes at the mass communication department.

A complaint against the said teacher was submitted by the mass communication department chairman to his counterpart at the Urdu department in January this year.

“I was told that an inquiry committee would be set up to investigate the charges but nothing has been done about the case so far,” said chairman of the mass communication department Prof Tahir Masood.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2015

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