AISA decries appointment of tainted prof as panel head

  New Delhi: The Left-backed All India Students' Association on Tuesday condemned the decision of Ambedkar University, Delhi, to appoint a professor found guilty of sexual harassment as the head of the organising committee of Ambedkar Memorial Lecture, only to withdraw the decision later.

The All India Students' Association (AISA) said Professor Lawrence Liang was appointed as the chairman of the organising committee of the 11th Ambedkar Memorial Lecture (AML) in April, 2019. 

"We strongly condemn this attempt by the university authorities as Prof Liang has been found guilty by the Committee for Prevention of Sexual Harassment (CPSH) inquiry in a case of sexual harassment. Previously, he was asked to step down from his post as Dean of School of Law, Governance and Citizenship following the inquiry," the AISA said. 

In a notice released on December 3, Professor Liang was listed as the chairman of the 11th AML, it said, adding another notice was released on December 7 which did not have his name. "It is shameful that such attempts were deemed fit to be made by the Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) authorities.

 The committee had very clearly recommended action against him and it is terribly unfortunate that the university is violating the CPSH recommendations," the Left-backed group said.  In a statement, the varsity said Professor Liang had sought permission to be excused from the committee, citing personal reasons and commitments.

 "Academic administration by the faculty is an integral part of AUD's institutional work culture. All faculty members are expected to contribute routinely to a variety of administrative tasks. The annual AML is one such routine activity of AUD, and the organising committee has no major decision-making powers," it said.
 
In any case, citing personal reasons and other commitments, Prof Liang sought permission to be excused from working for the AML 2019, the varsity said. His request was duly accepted by the competent authority on December 7, and a new committee was notified on the same day, it added.