An FIR has been lodged against a senior professor at a degree college in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh who has been accused of sexual harassment and exploitation of women students for the past 20 years, according to the police.
The accused professor, Rajneesh Kumar, 59, also recorded obscene videos, 59 of which were leaked online. The accused professor, who also held the position of chief proctor, was suspended by the state government run Seth Phool Chand Bagla (P. G.) College administration on Saturday.
The case has gained attention not just in Hathras but in Lucknow as well. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognizance of the matter and directed the police to take strict and immediate action.
Hathras superintendent of police (SP), Chiranjeev Nath Sinha confirmed that an FIR under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against the professor at Hathras Gate police station on Thursday (March 13) on the complaint of a sub-inspector as none of the victims turned up.
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He said the professor is elusive since then and three teams have been constituted for his arrest. “After primary investigation, an FIR has been registered at Hathras Gate police station. A dedicated team has been tasked to arrest the absconding accused. We are trying to identify the victims and produce them before magistrate to record their statement,” said Sinha.
The SP said the FIR was lodged after information was given by UP State Women Commission on receiving an anonymous complaint from a victim addressed to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and other authorities.
The Hathras police are further verifying about the students shown in the videos and photos to record their statements after registering the FIR against the accused. The FIR was registered after a year-long delay, during which the college management allegedly tried to suppress the complaints.
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The management had given Rajneesh Kumar a clean chit after conducting an internal investigation initially. The professor reportedly was promoted during these years and elevated to the head of the geography department.
The SP said the complaint alleged that Rajneesh Kumar has been exploiting women students for over 20 years, promising them good grades and job placements in exchange for sexual favours.
The SP said the FIR was lodged under Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita sections 64(2) (rape), 68 (sexual intercourse by a person in authority), 75 (sexual harassment), section 67 of the Information Technology (Amendments) Act, 2008.
The investigation was initiated after the anonymous complaint reached the Women’s Commission and senior police officials. The complaint contained 12 explicit photos, some allegedly taken inside the Dean’s office, where the professor was seen behaving inappropriately with students.
Police officers attempted to identify the students appearing in the photos but allegedly faced non-cooperation from the college administration, which allegedly tried to shield the accused professor.
However, following orders from superintendent of police, an in-depth inquiry confirmed the accusations, leading to the registration of an FIR, according to a police officer privy to the investigation.
Investigators have recovered a video clip where the professor is seen making physical advances toward a female student, who had approached him for help in securing a job.
In the video, he is heard assuring her that he would arrange employment for her, implying an exploitative quid-pro-quo arrangement. Forensic examination of the leaked videos revealed that Rajneesh had filmed the footage himself, using his mobile phone inside his office, a police officer said.
He strategically positioned his phone to capture clear visuals of both himself and his victims. He openly recorded these videos in front of the students, indicating that some of them may have been coerced into compliance, the police officer said.
Authorities confirmed that 59 videos from the professor’s mobile phone were leaked online. The source of the leak is still under investigation, but police suspect that either his phone fell into the wrong hands or he had sent it for repair, where someone accessed and copied the content. These videos have now become key evidence against him.
Professor Rajneesh Kumar served as chief proctor of the college for six years, a position which holds responsibility to maintain discipline, preserve student’s interest and maintain academic atmosphere on campus.
Although he was briefly replaced, he was reinstated in 2023 by the principal. College sources also claim that similar complaints were raised a year ago, but higher authorities ignored the issue.
The regional higher education officer had previously sealed Rajneesh’s office during an inquiry, but within days, he allegedly reopened it and continued working. Sources confirmed that students were coerced into signing statements denying any misconduct.
With this case coming to light, State Women’s Commission chairperson Babita Chauhan has said that inspections of surveillance systems in all college campuses are in order.
“We do get complaints of harassment from college students, but repeated offences by a professor in an educational institute is truly appalling,” she said. “Although we know that after such cases people become alert, we will certainly plan a surprise inspection of the campus in question.”
Further, the chairperson said, “It is clear from the contents recovered from the man’s personal laptop, that he is a repeat offender, and the young girls are not making false complaints, as was alleged before.”
Meanwhile, KK. Rawat, the state president of the Bhanu faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), has warned that if the professor is not arrested within five days, farmers and student groups will stage protests outside the college.
