Overview
- Students at the Central University of Kashmir protested on Thursday after female students accused chemistry department head Dr. Chinnappan Baskar of repeated lewd remarks and threats to their academic standing.
- The university has attached Dr. Baskar to the office of the dean of academic affairs and relieved him of teaching and administrative duties while investigations proceed.
- CUK has set up two separate inquiries — the Internal Complaints Committee and a special inquiry committee — and named Assistant Professor Prashant Kumar Gupta as interim department coordinator.
- Ganderbal police were notified and kept order on campus but no formal complaint has been filed and no FIR has been registered because the alleged victim declined to go to the police.
- Students plan to submit a formal internal petition to the university; if the probes uphold the allegations, the university says it will take action under sexual harassment rules, a step that could affect campus safety and faculty accountability.