JNU Harassment Row BJP MPs Seek Ethics Panel Action Against Akoijam

A delegation of women BJP MPs on Thursday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to consider referring Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam to Parliament’s Ethics Committee over sexual harassment allegations against him.

The delegation also asked Birla to consider whether Akoijam should continue as a Lok Sabha member. The demand comes after JNU dismissed him on October 9 following an internal inquiry into complaints by at least 11 female students, while an FIR was registered against him on October 11, PTI reported.

Speaking to reporters in the Parliament House Complex, BJP MP D. Purandeswari said the delegation had urged the Speaker to act on the internal committee’s findings.

"We told the Speaker that the JNU internal committee has found the Congress MP [Akoijam] guilty. We urged the Speaker to consider referring the matter to the Parliament Ethics Committee and also consider whether he should continue as a member of the Lok Sabha," Ms. Purandeswari told reporters in the Parliament House Complex.

She said Birla had assured the delegation that he would examine the matter.

"The Speaker gave an assurance that he will certainly look into the matter and also consider if it should be referred to the Ethics Committee," she added.

Akoijam, the Congress MP representing Inner Manipur, was dismissed from JNU with immediate effect on October 9. He was a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under the university’s School of Social Sciences.

At least 11 female students lodged complaints against Akoijam in May this year, PTI reported. They alleged that he invited students to his campus residence under the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to harass them sexually. Some also alleged that he made obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.

The allegations have also led to a police case. PTI reported that an FIR was registered against Akoijam on Sunday, October 11, following a complaint lodged by JNU’s chief security officer. The case includes charges of sexual harassment and insulting the modesty of a woman.