Nalsar VC Faizan Mustafa reaffirms Nalsar as liberal space for open debate over sex harassment

Saturday, 17 September 2016 By Legally India Law schools

VC Faizan Mustafa: 'Nalsar is now a liberal space and thus best suited for such a conversation.'

Nalsar Hyderabad vice chancellor Faizan Mustafa has commented on the fallout of the open letter written by an anonymous student alleging sexual assault and harassment by another unnamed student, reaffirming the university’s commitment to “open conversation” and remaining a “liberal space”.

The student bar council (SBC) yesterday released an official statement yesterday, which called on everyone to respect the open letter author’s agency in how to deal with the complaint and cautioned against outside pressure potentially forcing Nalsar to adopt less liberal policies on campus.

After we reached out to Mustafa for comment yesterday, he also noted that the university’s sexual harassment policies were robust and involved students on a larger scale than at any other university in India.

VC Faizan Mustafa’s full statement

Prof Dhanda had joined the conversation on my behalf. There is no one better than her to lead this conversation.

We are a team.

More than punitive action the issue required larger and open conversation. We need to engage all our students in this dialogue.

Nalsar is now a liberal space and thus best suited for such a conversation.

Our policy on the subject is broader than the law of the land. It is gender neutral. Students played leading role in its drafting.

In no other law school or university in India students are involved at this scale in making regulations or rules.

We are very much on the job.

ICC [complaints committee] on my instructions has met twice in last three days.

Comments

Guest 17 Sept 2016, 11:11

+1 -4

"More than punitive action the issue required larger and open conversation. We need to engage all our students in this dialogue."

What the hell is this??? Someone has committed a RAPE. How can a university that supposedly teaches law ignore the need for approaching the police? The so-called human rights law expert Dhanda accused Veer Singh of sexual harassment for a harmless email criticising her (see link below). And now she just wants a bloody DIALOGUE????

I am appalled at the double-standards followed by left elites in India. Nalsar people co-signed a petition with JNU against the BJP siding with Kashmiri terrorists. Now you people are siding with rapists. SHAME, SHAME SHAME!

http://www.legallyindia.com/201204172748/Law-schools/committee-absolves-ex-nalsar-vc-veer-singh-of-dhanda-sexual-harassment

Guava 17 Sept 2016, 15:05

+1 -0

If the victim chooses not to proceed with a complaint...

K.V.Narayanmurti. 18 Sept 2016, 05:18

+3 -12

Clearly, this lady from Nalsar has a broader agenda than apears on the face of it. What was the need to paint the details of every bit that happened between her and her friend by choice, the language chosen titillates, who is the target beyond themseles? Such horrid details need to be disclosed only in closed enquiries by any enforcement authority, not to the media as now done. I suspect the bonafides.

Unsanskar 18 Sept 2016, 07:22

+11 -2

If the language titillates you, please go do what you need to ensure that your excitement [i]deflates[/i]. Stop ascribing your standards on what qualifies as morally acceptable public disclosure. In any event, she vented anonymously on a forum reserved for members of the college community - hardly disclosure to the media. Questioning a victim's bonafide on the basis of the level of detail in her disclosure is pretty disgusting. Quit being part of the problem of misogyny in India and start being part of the solution.

Alok Nath Memes 18 Sept 2016, 16:38

+4 -0

Agree with most of it, but considering that forum chose to go public on social media, something which could and should have been foreseen, one should not consider that the victim did not think of that at all. Not that there is anything wrong with it, she certainly reserves the right to shout it out from a rooftop or even better, via Reliance Jio if she wishes to! Why on earth cannot she? Those who have a problem with language or details should refrain from reading it (or banning it as per popular practice) and leave the ascribing of motive to the same enforcement authority whom they are referring to.

tangewala 19 Sept 2016, 13:47

+0 -0

while i can sympathize with the student for the breach of trust, I am yet to understand the purpose if she does not to expressly name him. The small community that NALSAR is, I am unwilling to believe that the student body has not come to zero in on who the couple is, though they may be unwilling to say it to outsiders. So was her purpose to have him informally blacklisted of the emoluments a NALASARite expects just because he went to Nalsar or a catharsis from opening up ?

Alok Nath Memes 19 Sept 2016, 18:21

Maybe the latter, may not be. If a student is facing problems because of it, he too has the option to come on social media, anonymously if need be, and counter it. Or even initiate formal action if he feels he is bein framed unjustly. Freedom of speech and expression works both ways. At least it should.

Naxalite 18 Sept 2016, 11:08

+2 -1

Kian, I can't believe you missed this scoop: Manan Mishra addressed a meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta_Parishad, an RSS-affiliated lawyers body. The video is on Youtube (link below). In the video he praises Modi and Ravi Shankar Prasad. And then he says the following ( 3:50 onwards):

"The world 'secularism is being misused by parties and propagating 'pseudo secularism'". And then he criticises JNU, asks for a Uniform Civil Code, criticises the Congress Party for "appeasing" the judiciary by allowing judges to give legal aid etc etc.

Now, how can the chairman of BCI be so blatantly pro BJP? What does the Congress have to say in response to these allegations?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pgTttF0LbA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akhil_Bharatiya_Adhivakta_Parishad

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