The JNU sexual harassment case triggered a protest by the BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi on Monday, with demonstrators marching towards the Congress headquarters and demanding action against Congress MP and former Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam. The protest followed JNU’s termination of Akoijam’s services and the registration of a police FIR after allegations involving female students.
BJP Mahila Morcha national president Roop Kumari Choudhary led the demonstration and demanded that Congress expel Akoijam from the party. She alleged that students had been exploited under the pretext of awarding marks and called for justice for the women involved. Her statements referred to allegations and did not constitute a judicial finding of guilt.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said in a post on X that serious sexual harassment allegations had been made by 11 female JNU students. She also said that JNU had dismissed Akoijam and that police had registered an FIR, while accusing the Congress of remaining silent. Gupta further alleged that women who went to the Congress headquarters had been assaulted and verbally abused by people associated with Rahul Gandhi. The report did not include a response from Congress to these allegations.
West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat said an inquiry committee had found Akoijam guilty and that he was subsequently removed from the university. The report did not provide the committee’s findings or the university’s order independently, and the allegation should therefore be distinguished from any final judicial determination. Akoijam continues to be identified in the report as a Congress MP.
The immediate institutional issue is the difference between action taken by a university employer and action by a political party. The BJP leaders demanded that Congress respond to the allegations and remove Akoijam from its ranks. The report did not state whether Congress had begun an internal process or whether any decision had been taken regarding his position as a Member of Parliament.
The police case was registered at Vasant Kunj North police station following a complaint filed by JNU’s chief security officer on October 11, according to the report. It did not specify the sections of law invoked, the stage of the investigation, or whether Akoijam had been questioned or arrested. Registration of an FIR begins a criminal investigation and does not by itself establish guilt.
The controversy has also brought renewed attention to the responsibility of universities to protect students and maintain procedures for addressing complaints against faculty members. In this case, the reported sequence includes allegations by students, an internal university inquiry, termination of services and a police investigation. The available report does not provide details of the inquiry committee’s composition, the findings shared with the students, or the safeguards available to the accused during the process.
Bansuri Swaraj, the BJP MP from New Delhi, described the Congress leadership’s silence as astonishing and joined the demand for a response. The BJP said its demand was focused on justice for the affected students and safety in educational institutions. Congress had not responded to the allegations or the protest at the time of publication.
The next developments will depend on the Delhi Police investigation, any formal response from Congress and further information from JNU or the investigating authorities about the inquiry and FIR. The allegations remain subject to due process, while the reported university action and police case have made the matter a public institutional and political issue.
