Nalanda University interim VC Pankaj Mohan resigns over sexual assault by students

Following alleged incidents of sexual assault by two students, the interim Vice Chancellor of Nalanda International University, Pankaj Mohan resigned on Thursday.Out of the two students, one of the students was suspended.

The university's media in-charge Smita Polite said while one student was suspended on the charge of sexually harassing fellow students, another was shifted to a different hostel.

A complaint against the two was received a month back alleging they sexually harassed fellow students and action was taken against them following the set procedure, she said.

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An Internal Complaint Committee probed the matter and submitted its report on March 20 night, and after following the norms and approval of the Chancellor, one student was suspended on Thursday and another shifted out of his hostel on Wednesday she said.

Earlier, a group of students of the university staged a protest in front of Vice-Chancellor's office alleging that the authorities was not taking action against the two accused students though the complaint was lodged a month back. Superintendent of Police of Nalanda Kumar Ashish said he intervened and took a delegation for talks with the VC after which the stir was called off.

After going through the details of the complaints, he asked the university authorities to register a FIR against the student, who has been suspended. He was also accused of sending threat mails to classmates.

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Meanwhile, late this evening the interim Vice Chancellor resigned owning "moral responsibility".

In a letter to Chancellor Vijay Bhatkar, Mohan wrote,"Dear members of Nalanda University Community, I express my sincere apology to the members of Nalanda University Community for my inability to uphold their trust. I take moral responsibility for the problems that the University experienced in the last three days".

"I have relinquished all the administrative positions and I have also advised the Chancellor to institute an inquiry into the period of my term as Interim Vice Chancellor. If I am found guilty of any willful error I will quit the university," he wrote.

Bhatkar, the man behind India?s first supercomputer-- theParam series-- was appointed as the chancellor of NalandaInternational University last month. Based on the vision of former President APJ Abdul Kalam, first academic the Nalanda International University came into existence on 25 November, 2010 in Bihar's Nalanda first academic session of the university started on September 1,2014.