4 Gomal University employees fired over sexual harassment

Published March 5, 2020
Gomal University dismissed four of its employees for sexually harassing female students. — Photo courtesy Gomal University website
Gomal University dismissed four of its employees for sexually harassing female students. — Photo courtesy Gomal University website

Four employees of Gomal University in Khyber Pakhtunkwa's Dera Ismail Khan were dismissed from service after charges of sexual harassment were proved against them, it emerged on Thursday.

The orders for dismissal, issued by the deputy registrar's office, stated that Assistant Professor Imran Qureshi, Professor Dr Bakhtair Khan, game supervisor Hikmat Ullah and lab attendant Hafeez Ullah were being dismissed from service on March 3 on account of "proven grave misconduct of sexual harassment".

Vice-chancellor of Gomal University Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar told Dawn.com that the dismissed faculty and staff members had been "harassing female students and a number of them had filed written applications against the employees" after which the varsity conducted an inquiry into the matter.

Sarwar also said that an inquiry into alleged sexual harassment by four other senior faculty members is in its final stage and the report will be presented in the varsity's syndicate meeting soon.

Last month, the varsity's director of linguistics and humanities Professor Hafiz Salahuddin was forced to resign after allegedly getting caught in a private TV sting operation following accusations of harassment.

The professor had been asked to resign after the administration reviewed the videos and found them to be "indecent and immoral", the VC had confirmed.

Read: Gomal varsity teacher forced to resign over harassment

Gomal University was also in the news last month after reports emerged of police violence against students protesting against the varsity's administration.

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