KARACHI: Two students and three teachers on Tuesday recorded their statements in a sexual harassment case, which was reported on the Karachi University campus more than a year ago. Sources told Dawn that it was the first hearing of the case held by a non-KU staff member.
“Sindh education department official Aziz Fatima Mangi was appointed the inquiry officer in the case by the KU syndicate after a teacher was found guilty in the inquiry conducted by university teachers,” said KU registrar Dr Moazzam Ali Khan.Ms Mangi is a member of the KU syndicate. The registrar added that no time frame had been given for completing the investigation.
Answering a question, Dr Khan said that formal proceedings took time. “First an internal inquiry by university staff is held followed by an inquiry by an official outside the university. Reports are presented in the university syndicate which takes a decision.” According to sources, the Tuesday hearing was attended by Prof Shakeel Khan, who led the KU inquiry committee, Dr Nadeemullah and Prof Nasreen Aslam Shah, both from the social work department where the case was reported.
The sources said that two students attended the hearing that continued for more than two hours. Teachers and students in attendance forcefully repeated their previous stance and expressed concern that the case continued to linger on, though the teacher had been found guilty. The accused teacher, an ad hoc assistant professor who was taking classes of his first semester at the social work department, had been suspended from service for over a year, though he was getting his salary and other perks, the source said.
The case came to light in January 2015 and it took the university three months to complete the inquiry, though initially it was announced that the inquiry report would be submitted to the vice chancellor in 10 days.The inquiry was initiated on the complaint of several students and teachers.
