Suspended warden is yet to be arrested
Molestation row on SNDT campus
A day after female warden Rachna Jhaveri of SNDT Juhu campus was booked for molesting a 21-year-student, the police are yet to make an arrest.
Police sources said that since the allegation has not been proven, no arrest can be made at this point of time on the basis of hearsay.
Meanwhile, SNDT Women’s University has asked Jhaveri to go on indefinite leave and banned her from entering the campus, pending an internal investigation. According to the complainant, when Jhaveri questioned her near the mess for wearing a sleeveless top on Sunday afternoon, the woman said she had a skin infection and was advised by the doctor to wear loose and sleeveless clothes for quick recovery.
However, an unconvinced Jhaveri allegedly took her to a room where three other girls were present and made her strip to reveal the infection. Later, after the victim approached her seniors in the hostel, they advised her to lodge a police complaint. The police are verifying the allegations and questioning other girls who were present at the spot.
Manoj Kumar Sharma, additional commissioner of Police (Western Region), said, “The accused warden has been booked under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code for molestation, however, the charges are yet to be proven. The investigation is underway and arrests will be made after questioning of other students.”Many girls on the SNDT campus were unhappy with the warden’s strict enforcement of clothing rules. A police source added, “Allegations of the victim may be an outburst, after all the previous altercations with Jhaveri. Hence jumping to conclusions in this case might be wrong.”Around 400 students of SNDT Juhu hostel staged a protest on Monday to demand Jhaveri’s arrest and met the Vice Chancellor to complain of her unethical approach.
The SNDT Women’s University has issued a statement regarding the unfortunate incident in which they said: “An inquiry committee has been instituted consisting of three members, including a member from the Management Council.