Delhi Police registers FIR in DSEU lecturer sexual harassment case

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police on Monday registered an FIR in connection with a female lecturer at a state-run Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) alleging harassment and delayed salary.

The FIR came at the order of a Delhi court on January 7.

The FIR was registered against unknown persons at the Dwarka (south) Police Station at the complaint of the woman, who also alleged damage to her service records, sexual and administrative harassment.

The complainant alleged that after the university assumed control of salary disbursement, payments were repeatedly delayed, which sent her into financial distress and made her default on her loan and incur penalties.

On January 7, the Dwarka court, in an order, noted that the allegations were a cognisable offence and directed the police to register an FIR and conduct an investigation.

The Police have registered a case under sections 509 (words, gestures, sounds, or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

DSEU Vice-Chancellor Ashok Nagawat dismissed the allegations as baseless and alleged that the complaint was made with an ulterior motive.

"We are aware that a complaint was made and an FIR has been registered. This is an attempt to pressure us. We will file a review petition soon and maybe file a defamation case if the need arises, as the allegations are completely baseless," Nagawat told PTI.

According to the complaint, the lecturer, a senior government officer with more than 20 years of service, alleged that she faced repeated harassment between October 2023 and February 2024 while pursuing her unpaid salary and pending reimbursements.

She claimed that although she approached the police in February 2024, no case was registered.

In April 2024, the university placed her under suspension, which she described as a retaliatory move to silence her. The suspension was revoked on October 1, 2024, following an internal inquiry, she said.

According to the FIR, a key allegation relates to the condition of her personal file and service book records crucial for pay, promotions, and retirement benefits.

The lecturer claimed that when she visited the university campus to retrieve these documents, she found them torn and damaged. Fearing destruction of records, she called the police for assistance.

The woman alleged that senior officials attempted to coerce her into accepting the damaged records and suggested she resign if she continued raising grievances.

She accused DSEU officials of criminal conspiracy, intimidation, and deliberate destruction of government property, arguing that any damage to service records could irreversibly harm her present and future employment.