Kendrapada: Jagatsinghpur district administration has registered an FIR against the principal and a lecturer of a college following allegations of suppressing a sexual harassment case.The action comes after a Plus II second-year female student accused the lecturer of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour on Jan 15. The following day, the student lodged a formal complaint with the college principal. However, the principal, along with the college’s internal complaints committee, allegedly failed to take appropriate action and instead gave a clean chit to the accused lecturer. It was further alleged that the principal coerced the victim into signing a blank paper, in an apparent bid to undermine her complaint.Upon learning of these developments, the district administration conducted its own investigation. The findings revealed a concerning nexus between the principal and the lecturer, leading to their suspension on Monday. “The principal and lecturer were found to have neglected their duties in handling the sexual harassment case, prompting us to file an FIR against them,” said Prasant Kumar Tarai, sub-collector of Jagatsinghpur.Jagatsinghpur police, led by IIC Pravas Chandra Sahu, have launched an investigation based on the FIR. “We are committed to ensuring a thorough and impartial investigation into the matter,” Sahu assured.
