NEW DELHI: BJP on Thursday attacked Congress over dismissal of its Inner Manipur MP, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) following an internal inquiry into sexual harassment allegations by female students.Addressing reporters, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj accused the Congress leadership of remaining silent on the issue and alleged that the party was siding with those accused of exploiting women.“It is highly unfortunate that the Congress party consistently sides with those who exploit women. When Bimal Akoijam, a sitting MP from the Congress party, sexually harassed 11 female students, JNU’s internal committee found that the complaints filed by these students against him were truthful and substantiated by facts. Consequently, on October 9, 2026, Bimal Akoijam was dismissed from his position at JNU,” the BJP MP said.“Yet, there is an absolutely deafening silence from Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Kharge ji, and Sonia Gandhi… Today, under the guidance and leadership of our Mahila Morcha National President and fellow MP, Rupkumari Choudhary, we met with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla…. We appealed to the President, Droupadi Murmu. Yesterday, a delegation met with the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Vijaya Rahatkar, and today, we submitted a memorandum to Om Birla. We had a very productive discussion…” she added.Earlier on Wednesday, Delhi Police has served a notice to Akoijam, asking him to join an investigation into the allegations. The notice comes days after police registered an FIR following a complaint forwarded by JNU’s chief security officer for necessary legal action, news agency PTI reported.The documents submitted to the police included the university’s dismissal order, the internal committee’s inquiry report and its assessment of the allegations.The FIR invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to sexual harassment and words, gestures or acts intended to insult a woman’s modesty. Police documents refer to an incident on May 6 and an unspecified period before that date.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Akoijam, a professor at JNU’s Centre for the Study of Social Systems under the School of Social Sciences, was dismissed with immediate effect on October 9 following an internal inquiry.According to reports, several female students filed sexual harassment complaints against Akoijam in May. The allegations included claims that he invited students to his campus residence under the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them. Some students also alleged that he made inappropriate remarks in class.Akoijam has denied the allegations, describing the complaints as politically motivated. He has also challenged the university’s account of the inquiry process.