Congress MP Akoijam Alleges Political Witch Hunt After JNU Expulsion

Congress Inner Manipur MP Bimol Akoijam has accused the BJP of fabricating false charges against him following his expulsion from Jawaharlal Nehru University on sexual harassment charges. Speaking to ThePrint, Akoijam claimed authorities would not have misused the POSH law so easily if he were a powerful politician from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, describing the action as rooted in regional prejudice.

Rules Broken

Akoijam stated that the university violated multiple legal rules, including Section 16 of the POSH law on confidentiality, by leaking the Internal Committee report to the media before sharing it with him. He received an email notification about his dismissal late at night on Friday at 11.35 pm, after learning of his expulsion from the media. He also pointed out that standard procedures, such as a 30-day appeal window and a 10-day response period for a show-cause notice under Section 8, were bypassed when the IC report was submitted and action was taken on October 9.

Political Motives

The MP argued the timing is politically motivated to damage his character ahead of the Manipur Assembly elections due early next year. He noted that after he and fellow Congress MP Alfred Arthur won the Lok Sabha elections, Manipur gained an audible voice in Parliament, which unsettled the ruling party. He also dismissed media reports of sex-for-marks allegations, stating such claims do not exist in the official complaint.

Context

The POSH law, enacted in 2013, governs the prevention and redressal of sexual harassment of women at workplaces and mandates strict confidentiality to protect all parties involved. Internal Committees are legally required to conduct impartial inquiries into such complaints following due process. Universities and public institutions operate under specific statutory guidelines that regulate disciplinary actions and administrative transparency.