Ramjas professor harassed by cops for fathering male child!

The Commerce faculty member was picked up by Maurice Nagar police after a student committed suicide. Cops allegedly badgered him and took a jibe when he asked to be excused since he had become a father the previous day.

On Friday, Akhil Gupta, a first-year BA Economics (Hons.) student at Delhi University's Ramjas College, jumped off the third floor of his building in west Delhi's Paschim Vihar after being named in the fake marksheet scam that rocked the college recently. Delhi police personnel who had called him for questioning just a week ago are now after admission committee members of the college.

According to reports, Gupta who had jumped to his death was depressed after being expelled from the college for submitting a fake class XII marksheet while taking admission. However, his spirits sank further when he was interrogated by Delhi police about a week ago. Cops, though tight-lipped on the matter, maintained that they did not mistreat him, but just questioned him once.

In controversy: The fake marksheet scam at Ramjas College (above)
in Delhi University's north campus has been making news. File pic

Too many questions?
However, the professors who have been interrogated so far claim they have been harassed and asked unwarranted questions. Two male professors were reportedly called while they were home at around 8 pm on Sunday and were quizzed till 11.30 pm. Also, a female professor was called in connection to the case the following day, but hearing the version of her male counterparts, she did not show up at the Maurice Nagar police station.

On Monday the college held a staff association meeting to discuss the harassment meted out to the admissions convenor and his associates. One of the teachers, Prof PK Malhotra, who conducted the admissions for the Commerce stream, said: "I don't understand the misbehaviour of the police officials. We have helped them crack a major fake certificate scam, but they are badgering us now as they got nervous after the student's death. They call us at odd hours and ask unnecessary questions not even remotely related to the case, like the details of my family tree."u00a0u00a0

Another admission committee member, on the condition of anonymity, said: "The cops spoke to me badly and asked questions on my family background. They did not let me go for a long while. Finally I told them that just a day earlier my wife had given birth to a boy and they were still in hospital; so I needed to be excused. Later they commented that I was being audacious after becoming the father of a male child."

Taking it up
However, the principal, Rajendra Prasad, asked the teachers who were picked up for interrogation to narrate the treatment meted out to them by the cops in writing, so that, he can forward it to higher authorities and discuss the matter at the university level, including with the proctor and the vice-chancellor. The teachers claim that the cops told them that they cannot refuse to show up when called; else they will be picked up forcibly from wherever they are.

"I had given in writing to the police officials when the SHO had sent his investigating officer to college that none of his staff will be called at the police station without my permission. But they have treated the professors badly, which is not done. I will try to contact the police commissioner for the harassment done. Tomorrow we will hold a staff council meeting in which we will decide our further step," Prasad told MiD DAY yesterday.

The suicide
Police said Akhil Gupta was rusticated on September 13 after the college found that he had sought admission in Economics (Honours) this year by submitting a fake marksheet and was among the 28 students against whom an FIR had been registered. Maurice Nagar police had registered a case against him on November 15 under sections 420 (cheating) and 468 /471 (forgery) of the IPC and called him for questioning. Police suspect that Akhil was under tremendous stress after he learnt that a case had been registered against him and that he took the extreme step on Friday morning.

The other side
Despite repeated attempts, DCP (north) IB Rani, under whom the investigation is being carried out, did not respond to our calls and SMS.