Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has terminated Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam with immediate effect following an internal inquiry into sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by 11 female students, bringing a major setback to the career of the prominent academic from Manipur.
The university issued the dismissal order on October 9, 2026, following the findings of its Internal Committee (IC), which recommended major punishment under the applicable service rules. The order was signed by Vice-Chancellor Santishree D. Pandit.
Bimol Akoijam, who was associated with the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU’s School of Social Sciences, was dismissed after the university said it had considered the available facts, the committee’s report and the prescribed procedure.
The development has placed the academic at the centre of a serious controversy, with the allegations carrying significant professional and personal consequences. While the university has confirmed the disciplinary action, the dismissal order does not provide a detailed account of the committee’s findings or the evidence considered during the inquiry.
The case had drawn wider attention in September after the Delhi Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of a video circulating on social media. In the video, students reportedly alleged that they had submitted a complaint against Akoijam to the vice-chancellor in May 2026 but that appropriate action had not been taken at the time.
The Commission sought an action-taken report from the university, asking whether the complaint had been referred to the Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act. It also sought an explanation for any delay in addressing the complaint.
With the university now imposing the penalty of dismissal, questions remain about the details of the inquiry, the evidence on which the findings were based and the procedural safeguards available to the professor under the applicable rules.
Given the gravity of the allegations and the consequences of the disciplinary action, a transparent account of the inquiry and the applicable review or appeal process would help ensure public confidence in the outcome.
