Imphal: Bimol Akoijam, the Congress’ Inner Manipur MP, who was expelled from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on charges of sexual harassment Friday told ThePrint the authorities would not have so blatantly misused the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and invoked the POSH law if powerful politicians from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were involved.
“…there is a subtle way in which they think they can trouble me because I am from the North-East. They would think a 1,000 times if I were an MP from Bihar or UP before concocting these charges. Do you think they (BJP) would have broken the law so easily if powerful politicians were involved? I am not playing the race card but it is racist. Where you think people are inferior, you treat them differently,” Singh said in an exclusive interview with ThePrint.
The first-time MP, who taught at JNU’s School of Social Sciences, said he was not surprised when he learnt of his expulsion from the media because there has been a witch hunt against him for some months. “I am aware of it but since I am a law abiding citizen, I was following what the POSH law said—to keep faith in confidentiality.”
But Akoijam said he was taken aback by how the findings of the Internal Committee (IC) report, which is confidential as per the POSH law, were leaked to the media even before they shared it with him. “I got an email at 11.35 pm Friday after I had given a press byte that they did not have the courtesy to share the findings with me. They sent it late at night as a knee-jerk reaction,” he said.
ICs are set up under the POSH law to conduct inquiry into sexual harassment complaints at workplaces.
“As per the POSH, the IC report is confidential. Section 16 of the Act talks about confidentiality. It says you cannot reveal in any manner the identity of the respondent or the complainant,” he said, adding that the JNU vice chancellor (VC) herself revealed his name by saying that yes, there is a case against the Congress MP from Manipur.
The VC, he said, should have been more cautious and responsible and said there were cases in IC but she was bound by law and could not comment. “But she went ahead and revealed. I then realised that something was wrong… they are playing all kinds of tricks to target me,” Akoijam said.
In fact, he said, it was the IC which informed him that there was a breach of confidentiality and they would look into it.
“This kind of trial by the media has to stop. Also the kind of charges they are talking about in the media are not there in the IC findings,” the Inner Manipur MP said.
For instance, he said, reports of sex-for-marks allegations are not there even in the complaint. “Where have they got it from… they just concocted a story,” he said.
‘Action smacks of politics’
Akoijam said the timing of the action against him coupled with the targeted leaks of the findings of the IC report is very political, coming as it does ahead of the Assembly elections due early next year.
“Manipur was completely silenced by the BJP in the 17th Lok Sabha. In the 18th Lok Sabha, when I won along with my colleague Alfred Arthur (Congress MP from Outer Manipur), we started to speak. Manipur became an audible voice. This bothered them (BJP),” Akoijam said.
He added, “They thought, how do you silence them? So one of their best ways is to character assassinate. They know that this will not stand. But at least stretch it to February, when the election is due. Because Bimol is one guy who will potentially be campaigning in Manipur. Finish him first by questioning his character.”
The Inner Manipur MP said, even during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP said he had three wives. “Besides my own wife, they said I have two more wives… one Punjabi and one Kuki. This spread like wildfire and this is the second time. So I knew that in politics, once you enter, you have to face this. You have to expose yourself and you need to have the courage to face them. I am telling you… they think I can be cowed down like this.”
‘JNU VC has violated POSH law’
Akoijam, who is currently in Imphal, said the JNU VC violated multiple sections of the POSH law.
For instance, he said, according to Section 8 of the POSH law, once a report is submitted by the IC, there is a 30-day window where the parties can appeal that they are not happy with the recommendations or the findings. They have the right to appeal. After the completion of 30 days, the VC is supposed to send a show cause notice, which the respondent has to respond to in 10 days.
“I was shocked that none of this happened. What I found from the media is that these so-called findings were submitted on 9 October and action to dismiss me was also taken the same day. I was sent an email only at 11.35 pm the same day,” he said.
Akoijam said one needs to ask the JNU VC if she was aware that she broke the POSH law. “You need to ask the VC… Ma’am, did you break regulation no. 16? Did you break regulation no. 8? Ask her what is the concept of natural justice. And they are blaming me instead. I have given my deposition before the IC on 16 July. What were they doing for so long? Since I am a law abiding citizen, I will follow the law of the land and see to it that justice is done,” he said.
‘BJP has destroyed every institution’
They (BJP) has thrown caution to the winds, he said. “They have destroyed every institution and this is another example. From Constitution, Election Commission, JNU, POSH law… They have destroyed everything,” he said.
Akoijam said he told the IC that he was not worried about himself. “I told them that I can defend myself but I am worried about this institution—the law and institution. The more you abuse it, people will lose trust in such mechanisms. These are meant for a certain purpose.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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