(Trigger Warning: Details of sexual harassment. The names of the complainants have been changed to protect their identity.)
“I have gone through serious mental health issues, that have impacted my physical health. I have got migraines, which are getting more serious by the day.”
“I suffered from retinal haemorrhage and depression, which are directly attributed to the prolonged emotional distress and pressure I have endured under his supervision.”
“I was compelled to withdraw from the course after suffering from severe anxiety attacks and insomnia.”
Three PhD scholars from the Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia have alleged that their supervisor, a senior faculty member, has been harassing them mentally and sexually over the last couple of years.
The three women have claimed that they have undergone serious mental trauma under his mentorship because of his "misogynistic, unprofessional and toxic attitude." While one of them has accused the supervisor of sexual harassment, another has left the course due to his alleged misconduct.
The three claimed they submitted written complaints more than once – first in May, and then in July – to their department’s Director, the Dean and the varsity’s Registrar, demanding action against the said supervisor and a new mentor so that they can continue with their course work peacefully. But they claimed that their pleas have not been heeded so far.
The Quint has reached out to all the concerned authorities at Jamia Millia Islamia for a response on the allegations. The Dean of Social Sciences Md Muslim Khan told The Quint on 16 July that "The professor (concerned) has been suspended."
‘Threw My Research Proposal, Made Fun of My Married Life’
On 9 May, in a written complaint to the Director of their centre, Ayesha* wrote that she had been experiencing “significant mental harassment” by her supervisor for the last one-and-a-half years. She claimed that her “earnest efforts and diligent presentation” of numerous research proposals, were “only met with indifference and mockery” from the supervisor.
“His refusal to engage with my work and tendency to belittle my questions has left me feeling demoralised and insecure about my abilities as a researcher,” Ayesha* wrote in her complaint.
Kavita* too accused the supervisor of not only rejecting her synopsis for two-and-a-half years, but also throwing it in front of another colleague, leaving her “embarrassed.” In her complaint to the university’s Registrar sent on 14 May, she accused the supervisor of making “fun of her married life” and “ridiculing” her because she was pregnant.
“During my pregnancy, his toxic behaviour made me feel like ending my life...I corrected my synopsis 20 times, but he was still not satisfied and forced me to leave PhD,” Kavita* alleged.
‘Made Me Sit in His Office for Hours, Google and Read Out His Feats’
Ayesha* alleged that every time she would go to his office to ask for his feedback, he would make her look him up online and read his introduction, make her read his book’s excerpts and abstracts but wouldn’t assess her work. Ayesha* said that she had done this exercise “more than 100 times.”
This was also mentioned in the written complaints of the other two PhD scholars.
While Kavita said that he would make her sit “in his office for hours and asked me to google him,” Aditi alleged that when she refused to read out his achievements, he “behaved rudely and threatened to not help me with my research.”
Aditi* alleged that the supervisor rejected her proposals over minor issues such as spelling and typographical errors and even “insulted” her writing.
“When I submitted the same work to Jamia International Conference on Education, not only did it get selected, the professors of Faculty of Education, Jamia Millia Islamia also published it in the form of a chapter in the book Changing Paradigms of Education,” Aditi* told The Quint.
However, she was allegedly “compelled” to withdraw from the course after suffering from “severe anxiety attacks and insomnia.”
'Misogynistic, Racist, Inappropriate Comments'
“On my early proposal on a particular refugee community, the supervisor told me if I do research on the marginalised, I will become one of them one day,” Ayesha* alleged to The Quint.
She added that when she changed her proposal to a study on women, the supervisor passed “misogynistic statements” during the discussion and “insulted” her. The supervisor’s attitude has caused a lot of emotional turmoil and anxiety, Ayesha* wrote in her complaint.
She added that the supervisor also ventured into inappropriate topics during coursework in the classroom sessions by allegedly discussing methods to “enhance sexual drive.”
“During a lecture, he randomly remarked, ‘Drumsticks (vegetables) are healthy as they boost sexual drive',” Ayesha* alleged in her complaint.
Aditi wrote in her complaint that he would pass sexist remarks at female scholars and faculty members, including the Director of their department. Kavita too alleged that he would “constantly belittle criticise and question the academic integrity of other female faculty members of the university.”
"He used to often say in the classroom - 'Women are now in every position; the director of your center (CJNS) is a woman and a boss here in the office, but she is a slave at home or becomes powerless. I might not be a boss here, but I am powerful at home, basically a boss," Ayesha* alleged.
‘He Would Call Late at Night, Comment on Sexual Needs’
Kavita* said that the supervisor would usually call her at night and begin the conversation by asking if “I was alone.” Recalling an incident of September 2022, after she had completed her course work, Kavita* alleged in her written complaint:
“He told me to leave PhD and go to my husband’s place and satisfy his sexual needs well. He asked me if I don’t have any sexual needs. I was shivering at that time.”
She claimed that she was “compelled to receive his calls,” otherwise he would behave very rudely in the next meeting and would not look at her academic work.
Aditi* alleged that he would comment on her clothes and jewellery and would “pass lewd comments on whether I should make male friends or not.”
Citing reports from AIIMS, Kavita* said she suffered from retinal haemorrhage and clinical depression in the last 18 months and is now taking medication daily for thyroid-related issues. She claimed her conditions “are directly attributed to the prolonged emotional distress and pressure I have endured under his supervision.”
'Targets Women Scholars, Many Suffered Under Him’
Ayesha* and Aditi* both alleged that the supervisor mostly “picks women scholars” and that “most of them have discontinued” their research.
The Quint spoke to an alumna, Pooja*, who claimed she faced “emotional abuse” under the said supervisor when she was pursuing her PhD from 2015 to 2022. “He used to just look at us for hours while we would read out his achievements online in his office,” Pooja* alleged.
When she tried to raise a complaint against him, he allegedly told her that “no action will be taken against him” as he was in an important position at that time.
She added that she could lodge a formal complaint only in September 2020, when he was no longer in that position. Pooja* claimed that his successor acknowledged her complaint and promptly changed her supervisor, after which she could complete her research. The Quint has reached out to the concerned in-charge and will update the story once he responds.
However, Pooja* had to withdraw her complaint.
“When my grievances were heard by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), they said I wouldn’t get my degree until the proceedings continue. I had already spent seven years on my PhD and couldn’t afford to wait any longer. So, I withdrew my complaint,” Pooja* alleged to The Quint.
‘Suffered Severe Anxiety, Withdrew from PhD’
Two months after she had submitted her first complaint, Ayesha* received an email on 6 July, which asked her to report to her supervisor and present her progress report. To this, she outrightly refused and wrote an email marking other professors in her department. It stated:
“Meeting with my supervisor is now traumatic for me. No one understands the effort it takes to rebuild my self-worth and confidence after each meeting over the past two years. This caused me to suffer from severe migraines, anxiety, and depression. I was healthy before joining this center.”
Kavita* and Aditi* too received the same communication but refused to report to him. The complainants sent the second set of emails, again detailing their grievances, to the concerned authorities on 7-8 July.
"Why are we being pushed to meet a habitual harasser?" Aditi* asked as Kavita pointed at a possible violation of Vishakha Guidelines against Sexual Harassment at Workplace, which state that the complainant and the respondent should not be brought face to face with each other.
In her first complaint, Aditi* had demanded a thorough investigation and appropriate action against the toxic culture perpetuated by the supervisor. After no update on her complaint for more than a month, Aditi* withdrew from her PhD position on 25 June. The Director allegedly accepted her application to withdraw the next day and asked her to go home.
"Ironically, I was pursuing my PhD on women's access to education. I feel now that my whole study was null and void, as the university system is not letting its female scholars access higher education," Aditi* lamented.
Meanwhile, Kavita* has demanded that the authorities sensitise the supervisor on gender issues and punish him for his misconduct towards her and her other women colleagues.
“If I am married and have a child, it doesn’t mean I am not capable of pursuing PhD,” Kavita* said.
(*Names have been changed to protect the identity of complainants)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)