KARACHI: A day after its disciplinary committee expelled a student, the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) made clear on Thursday that the student had the right to appeal to numerous committees if he did not insist on terms against the IBA’s rules and processes.

The student, Mohammad Gibrail, had reported on social media an alleged incident of harassment that took place on the campus on August 25. He had posted on his Facebook details of the incident wherein he saw an employee of IBA’s finance department allegedly shouting at and threatening a female employee.

The student later refused IBA’s directive to take down the post. The concerned female employee also filed a complaint in writing with IBA’s anti-harassment committee, which is yet to announce details of its investigation.

The case led to students’ protests and caused uproar on the social media on IBA’s decision, which many described as “gross over-reaction” and “extremely unfair”.

The student says he will not make an apology

On Thursday, IBA Executive Director S Akbar Zaidi sent a note to his colleagues stating that he knew many of them were upset at the decision of the disciplinary committee. “Such decisions are not easy. The student was given numerous opportunities to discuss issues and find a way which did not lead to the decision taken. Many of our colleagues intervened and pleaded with him to try and find a way out, but he wanted [the employee in question] to be dismissed first without recourse to IBA’s process.”

He stated that an IBA’s official was asked to leave the IBA “on charges which are similar to those being alleged. It took various committees and the Board of Governors seven months to terminate his services, but this happened through various processes, exactly what we are doing now and what has happened over the last few weeks”.

Dr Zaidi said the student “has the right to appeal to numerous committees if he so wishes, as long as he does not insist on terms which are against IBA’s rules and processes”.

While the IBA did not name the expelled student, Gibrail posted on Facebook on Sept 28 that he sensed that the IBA’s disciplinary committee was going to expel him. “Even still, I’m saying with all my complete senses that I WILL NOT SAY SORRY EVEN IF IT WILL COST MY HEAD. I cannot be a hypocrite, a person who has difference in his words and deeds, and a person who takes decision by looking towards the number of people supporting him; I cannot be that person.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the institute released a statement on the student’s expulsion according to which the BS Economics programme student was “counselled” by various members of the IBA community. “However, despite the counselling provided to him, the student refused to adhere to the right channels that are expected to be followed by all members of the IBA faculty, students, and staff,” it said.

The disciplinary committee found him guilty of sharing details of the alleged harassment incident on social media “without first following the SOPs that are expected to be followed at IBA”.

“Sharing details about an alleged incident without having complete knowledge of the context/ background on any public platform is against IBA’s rules and regulations,” the statement said.

The student was also found to have “shared details of the employee (Facebook profile including picture of the person) of the institute even before the victim filed an official complaint, which led to endangering the physical and psychological safety of the employee, his co-workers, and the department”.

The student “defamed the institute, its finance department, and the employee [besides] senior professors on various national forums” as well as “incited students to protest and led demonstrations against the institute and pit the students and the IBA administration against one another which could have jeopardised the security of the protesters and the administration personnel”, the statement added.

The IBA disciplinary committee accused the student of having endangered the physical and psychological safety of other students, employees, and faculty members through the protests.

He also “(attempted) to influence the decisions of the relevant committees, which are completely independent and neutral, to achieve desired outcomes through dissemination of the incident and chain of events on mediums of communications outside the IBA and spreading misinformation and twisting of facts”, the statement said.

It further read: “It is important to note that his highlighting the incident of alleged harassment within IBA has been appreciated by the IBA administration. We welcome our students pointing out issues which are of concern to them and our community. This is something that we, at the IBA, take very seriously and we have senior professors, management, and experts of the field, including many women, who are part of the committee to investigate such matters as per IBA/HEC policy of anti-harassment through the Anti-Harassment Committee.”

“However, we need to emphasize that the act of the student of whistle-blowing of alleged harassment has nothing to do with the disciplinary matter, which was the basis of the hearing and recommendation. The IBA Anti-Harassment Committee is investigating the case as per IBA and HEC rules, regulations, and procedures. We do not jump to any conclusions on the basis of hearsay and always follow processes before any decision can be taken,” it added.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2021