Students staged a midnight protest in Rajendranagar demanding that police register a case against Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Aldas Janaiah over allegations of sexual harassment made by an assistant professor at the institution.
The protesters alleged that police did not issue an acknowledgment receipt after the complainant submitted a complaint at the police station. Raising slogans, they demanded justice for the assistant professor and urged the police to take immediate action on the complaint.
According to the report, the assistant professor has accused Prof. Janaiah of sexually harassing her and alleged that he threatened to ruin her career if she refused to comply with his demands. She said she had been working at the university since 2014 and had initially regarded the Vice-Chancellor as a father figure.
The assistant professor alleged that she trusted Prof. Janaiah and shared personal issues and problems with him. She said she later became distressed after realising what she described as his alleged intentions and behaviour.
The complainant has reportedly submitted complaints to the university’s Women’s Wing, Telangana Director General of Police CV Anand and the Governor. The Telangana State Women’s Commission has also issued notices to Prof. Janaiah in connection with the allegations.
The reported police response has become a separate point of contention in the matter. The students’ demand for an acknowledgment receipt relates to the formal recording of the complaint and the next steps available to the complainant through the criminal justice system. The report does not state whether police have registered a First Information Report or begun a formal investigation.
Prof. Janaiah has denied the allegations. In a letter addressed to DGP CV Anand, he described them as rumours and alleged that the assistant professor was making false accusations out of vindictiveness. He also claimed that she had been spreading false allegations and complaints against him over the previous week.
In the letter, Prof. Janaiah wrote that the allegations were “very likely instigated and conspired by other disgruntled elements within the system who are unhappy with our reform path”. These claims have been attributed to the Vice-Chancellor, while the allegations against him remain contested.
The dispute now involves the university administration, the police, the state women’s rights mechanism and the Governor’s office. The immediate official steps reported so far are the Women’s Commission notices and the submission of complaints to senior authorities. The report does not provide details of a police case number, an inquiry order or a response from the police on the protesters’ demand.
