Women academics accuse JNTU VC of abusive, sexist remarks; file police complaint | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: The principal and head of the Computer Science Engineering (CSE) department at the city’s Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology (VJIT) have lodged a police complaint against Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad (JNTUH) Vice-Chancellor, Prof T Kishen Kumar Reddy, accusing him of “abusive, derogatory, gender-discriminatory, threatening and intimidating conduct” during a closed-door meeting on Oct 6.According to the complainants — A Srujana and D Aruna Kumari — the incident took place when they met Prof Reddy to invite him as chief guest for an event at VJIT on Oct 30. While they had sought prior appointment for the meeting, they claimed the VC was “aggressive” and “hostile” from the outset.In their complaint they alleged that Prof Reddy “deliberately refused” to offer them seats and told them they were “merely servants of the institution” who did not deserve chairs or even basic courtesy. He also, according to them, bluntly refused to attend the programme.The complainants further alleged that the VC made disparaging remarks about women, saying they were “fit for nothing” and did nothing but “slow down the institution’s progress”. “He remarked that they [women] did not belong in academic or professional fields, and should remain confined to their homes, give birth to children and look after them,” the academics alleged.Probing charges: copsWhile the KPHB police confirmed receiving the complaint, they said they are yet to file an FIR. “We are currently investigating the allegations and will register an FIR and take further action based on the findings,” said KPHB inspector, S Rajashekhar.The complainants, meanwhile, also accused the VC of humiliating them and their institution by tearing the formal invite, equating them with “trash”, questioning its affiliations and approvals, and threatening to see the end of it.Apart from VJIT, the complainants claimed that Prof Reddy even used derogatory remarks against the senior representative of another popular institute in the city while repeatedly berating women in academia.“We were unable to bear the abusive, threatening, and demeaning manner in which we were addressed,” the complainants stated, urging the police to take necessary action against the VC. They said his behaviour left them “shocked, humiliated, and terrified”.Allegations baseless: VCSpeaking to TOI, the JNTUH VC denied the allegations, describing them as “baseless, frivolous and unsupported”. He said the allegations were made with an “ulterior motive” to damage the reputation of both the university and him.In a separate official statement, JNTUH also refuted the academics’ allegations, stating that Prof Reddy “routinely engages with faculty members, students and other stakeholders with professionalism and dignity”. “The university remains committed to women’s participation in institutional leadership,” the statement read, pointing out that women faculty members hold key leadership positions at JNTUH.