Patna: A Patna Women’s College (PWC) student’s complaint about sexual harassment went viral on whatsapp, and that prompted the Patna Police on Tuesday to move against Sanjay Dutta, a male teacher of the college’s department of Mass Communication.

Patna SSP Vikas Vaibhav said and added the harassed girls should come forward and help police in the investigation. A police team led by Kotwali police station SHO Ramesh Prasad Singh visited the college and met the principal Dr. Marie Jessie AC. The principal handed over the girl’s written complaint to police.

“The college administration has informed us the accused teacher is not coming to the college for the last couple of days,” the DSP said and added any of his alleged victims as complainant of the case would have hugely helped police get him punished as per the law.

Meanwhile, another message went viral on WhatsApp on Wednesday from a group of students, in support for the college principal. She was not sitting on the complaint; “she just asked for few days for investigation into it”, the new message said.

Some students preferring anonymity said all they wanted was that the accused should be punished. “Not that all our teachers are bad. We sent out a message on WhatsApp because we were not getting support from even our parents as they were worried about the social stigma attached with such issues,” a PWC student a local newspaper.

Earlier, following the complaint, students of the BMC department 3^rd year boycotted classes, “First, we met the college principal in the presence of the head of the department, Minnati Chaklanovis. We will continue boycotting classes till the completion of inquiry by the principal. We have not lodged any complaint with the police as it will come in public glare, which will not be good for the complainant. We want justice for the victim,” a student reportedly told a newspaper.

Former students of the BMC department said that the teacher used to speak ‘double-meaning’ sentences making girls uncomfortable, though they had not experienced physical harassment. “This time, the girl concerned must have experienced something extreme, making her lodge a complaint with the principal despite the fear of being rusticated,” they said.

Chaklanovis said, “It is true that the girls lodged a complaint with the principal and she assured the girls of a through inquiry. But these things take time as the accused professor has been teaching here for last six years. We never received any such complaint in the past.”

  education, naked truth