“Do you have a boyfriend? What activities do you do with your boyfriend? What is your opinion on affairs? What is your opinion on someone my age liking someone your age? Such questions, which have no place in any classroom, let alone in an institution as esteemed as the Jawaharlal Nehru University, were allegedly asked by Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam to female students during their academic interactions.
JNU’s internal committee found him guilty of sexual harassment by making sexually suggestive interactions, unwelcome physical contact, inappropriate screening of a sexually explicit movie, unnecessary physical proximity, and inappropriate informal behaviour with students. It recommended that he be sacked from his position at the university. “Do you have a boyfriend? What activities do you do with your boyfriend? “What is your opinion on affairs? “What is your opinion on someone my age liking someone your age? Female students were asked to hold hands with him multiple times; even after showing hesitation, he pinched them without their consent. This has also happened in the class where he demanded female students’ hands. He did not tell the students the name of the movie, nor did he warn them about the film’s sexually explicit nature. Some students felt extremely uncomfortable watching the movie. The panel did not find that the use of the movie was inherently inappropriate. Such conduct created an intimidating, offensive and hostile learning environment, it added. His jokes were often sexist, and he punched down on regional groups such as Biharis and Bengalis. The panel found him guilty of making female students feel discomfort with his physical proximity. He openly admitted to drinking with students at his residence, having informal friendships with former students beyond professional relations, and, in his own words, engaging in “illegal stuff. Vivas were very unstructured and non-uniform. Some he took at his office and some he took at his residence. Mostly female students were made to sit for way longer than male students. Even the presence of a third party was not consistent-sometimes it was just him, sometimes his PA was present. The panel found that these statements were relevant corroborative circumstances when considered with the other statements and evidence on record. Akoijam has consistently denied the allegations, calling them false and motivated.
During his class, some female students reported feeling discomfort due to his habit of coming in proximity to only female students unnecessarily. His list of instances of inappropriate behaviour with at least 11 JNU students does not end with these questions. Some went on for five minutes, while others went on for 30 minutes to an hour. On one of the days, his viva went on till 11:40 PM, which he took at his residence with female students present.
The statement said that the professor, also a Congress MP, had asked similar questions during the viva. He asked the students the meanings of certain terms, such as the term “quickie”, which he himself explained as “quick sexual intercourse that can be done on top of a table” using weird hand gestures to describe the act. The panel found him guilty of raising sexually explicit terminology, including the term “quickie”. It described the remarks as “sexually coloured”. The panel said the statements and evidence establish instances in which female students were asked to hold the defendant’s hand and instances of physical contact, including pinching, despite indications of hesitation or unwillingness. It said the behaviour was tantamount to crossing personal and professional boundaries. He showed the movie “Lust Stories” (without any prior notice) in which the opening scene depicted the main character engaging in sexual intercourse. However, it said the circumstances established on record indicate that students were not adequately informed beforehand about the sexually explicit nature of the content. The panel held him guilty of the conduct which it said crossed professional boundaries. The panel said the statements and evidence establish that vivas were conducted in materially different circumstances, including at the defendant’s office and at his residence, with substantial variation in duration and without the consistent presence of a third person. He himself admitted to “making female students cry” during his vivas in a mocking tone. He said he “keeps tissue boxes” for female students and compared them to Kangana Ranaut and other actresses, with the connotation of calling them crybabies. The JNU committee said his behaviour established a recurring pattern of inappropriate personal interactions, recommending a “major punishment” per the service rules.
There has always been a proclivity for asking female students about their personal dating history, even during his classes (in one instance, he asked a student what they did during Valentine’s Day).
The statement found nine allegations made against him by the students to be true.
The panel wrote in its statement that it found after an extensive probe that evidence substantially corroborates the allegations and establishes a recurring pattern of “conduct inconsistent with the professional boundaries expected in a teacher-student relationship”.
