Hyderabad:A professor at University of Hyderabad was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a foreign student, police said on Saturday. The 62-year-old man was booked for allegedly outraging the woman's modesty.
The woman, a postgraduate student, is not able to communicate in English or Hindi and the services of a translator have been sought to record her statement, they said. Police would proceed further based on her statement. The accused professor allegedly attempted to kiss and hug her at his residence on Friday evening, they added.
The incident took place inside the campus on Friday night in which the student was allegedly sexually assaulted and beaten by the professor. A police official of the Gachibowli police station said they received a complaint from the victim student in the early hours of Saturday that the professor attempted to sexually assault her and when she resisted, he beat her.
“She alleged that the professor had been sexually harassing her for quite some time,” the police official said, quoting the complaint. “A case has been registered under Section 354 (assault with an intention to outrage the modesty of a woman) against the professor. An investigation into the matter has also been launched,” police said.
Meanwhile, a large number of students gathered outside the campus and staged a demonstration protesting against the university professor. They raised slogans and demanded strict action.
The University also issued a statement condemning the incident. "The University condemns the incident that occurred involving Prof. Ravi Ranjan, Department of Hindi, and a student on December 2. Based on the criminal complaint under investigation vide FIR No. IPC.1391/2022 registered under sections 354 and 354(A) of the IPC with the Gachibowli police station, Prof Ravi Ranjan is placed under suspension with immediate effect," the varsity statement read.
