JNU sacks Congress MP Akoijam after panel recommends ‘major punishment’ in sexual misconduct case

JNU dismissed the Manipur MP after its internal committee recommended 'major punishment'. Eleven students had filed a complaint over alleged misconduct during viva exams.

Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam said that he had not yet received an official invitation from the PMO or party leaders to attend the PM's event | ThePrint

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Friday sacked Congress MP from Manipur Angomcha Bimol Akoijam with immediate effect after the university’s internal committee investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against him recommended “major punishment”.

According to an order dated 9 October, signed by JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit, the internal committee recommended the action against Congress MP Akoijam based on its findings. 

The university said the dismissal was imposed after following due process and considering the available facts. “The order invokes the applicable service rules, citing UGC reference number 91-1/2013 (TFGS)/10(1) and Rule 11(ix) of the Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules,” the order states.

The UGC provision requires disciplinary action against employees found guilty of sexual harassment under institutional service rules, while Rule 11(ix) of the CCS (CCA) Rules provides for dismissal from service, ordinarily disqualifying the person from future government employment.

Akoijam was a professor at JNU’s Centre for the Study of Social Systems under the School of Social Sciences. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Manipur’s Inner Manipur constituency in the 2024 general elections on a Congress ticket.

The university’s order does not specify the details of the allegations or the committee’s findings. ThePrint has reached out to Akoijam for a response and this report will be updated when it comes.

Eleven students filed a sexual misconduct complaint against Akoijam with JNU’s Internal Complaints Committee in May following allegations linked to viva examinations earlier that month. 

The case drew wider public attention in September, when student organisation ABVP protested on campus, demanding action and a time-bound inquiry. 

On 13 September, Akoijam responded to reporters at Dhanamanjuri University in Manipur describing media coverage as a “media trial” and calling the reports “unverified, intentional, unethical and illegal”. He said the matter would be addressed through legal proceedings.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)