• The government had virtually seconded the BHU administration’s stand when he said that the recent incidents in the university smacked of a ‘conspiracy’ as prima facie reports suggest the role of anti-social elements
• Chief Minister Yogi said he had asked the administration to get to the bottom of the issue without harassing any student
• FIRs have already been lodged against 1,000 unidentified students for arson and vandalism on the campus after the police lathicharged them

 Banaras Hindu University Dean of students Mahendra Kumar Singh has replaced chief proctor ON Singh who has resigned  taking “moral responsibility” for the recent sexual molestation of a student and the police violence that rocked the campus after that.

ON Singh had reportedly received a complaint from the girl student within an hour of the incident on the campus at 6 pm on September 21, but he refused to act upon it. He handed over his resignation to Vice-Chancellor Girish Chandra Tripathi soon after he returned from New Delhi after attending the BHU executive council meeting.

This is the first head to roll in the BHU administration. While the district administration had removed three additional city magistrates and three policemen reportedly responsible for the police atrocity on the girl students on the night of September 23, the BHU administration was not even ready to acknowledge the violence and even denied that girl students had been targeted by the police during the lathicharge.

A four-page internal report by the outgoing chief proctor and the Vice-Chancellor had downplayed the sexual harassment incident describing it as an incident of “eve-teasing”.

However, pressure mounted on the BHU administration after the probe panel headed by Varanasi divisional commissioner Nitin Ramesh Gokarn blamed the BHU administration for the violence on the campus.

The report categorically blamed the university administration for not handling the matter sensitively. The report is being studied by the Department of Home. There are two more inquiries pending — a magisterial inquiry ordered by the Varanasi district magistrate and a judicial inquiry ordered by the V-C.