UP professor booked for raping female students, FIR lodged after a year

A 54-year-old professor working in Seth Phool Chand Bagla PG College in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district has been booked for allegedly raping several female students.

The accused has been identified as Rajneesh Kumar. He is the head of the geography department in the college. Currently, he is on the run.

The incident came to light after a complaint was submitted against him anonymously to the National Commission for Women (NCW), higher police officials, and local representatives last year, the Indian Express reported.

The complaint contained various photographs and around 59 videos as evidence showing the professor in objectionable positions with the victims.

However, an FIR was lodged against him on March 13 under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 64 (rape), 68 (sexual intercourse by a person in authority), and section 66 (computer-related offenses) of the IT Act.

“The FIR has been lodged against the professor by the in-charge of the industrial area police outpost. We are hopeful of his arrest soon, but at present, he has managed to escape soon after getting information about the police action against him,” Hathras Superintendent of Police (SP) Chiranjeevi Nath Sinha was quoted by The Indian Express.

Police also said that the college authorities remained non-cooperative during the investigations.