Delhi Police Question Congress MP Bimol Akoijam Over Harassment

Delhi Police summoned Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a Congress Member of Parliament and former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), for questioning on October 15. The investigation follows an FIR registered on October 11 at the Vasant Kunj North police station after JNU's Chief Security Officer filed a complaint. The case originates from May, when at least 11 female students alleged that Akoijam made obscene remarks in class and invited them to his residence under false pretexts to harass them.

JNU dismissed Akoijam from his academic position on October 9 after an internal inquiry found the allegations substantiated. Akoijam has denied the charges, characterizing the proceedings as a "witch hunt" and a political vendetta, while claiming he was denied the opportunity to respond to the inquiry's findings. Conversely, the JNU Teachers’ Association criticized the university's termination of the professor as "hasty".

The case has sparked significant political backlash. A delegation of women BJP lawmakers met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on October 15, urging him to refer the matter to the Parliament Ethics Committee and evaluate Akoijam's eligibility to remain in office. Speaker Birla assured the delegation he would look into the matter. Additionally, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh demanded Akoijam's immediate resignation, stating the MP has lost the moral authority to serve as a public representative. Protests also occurred at the JNU Main Gate on October 14, where the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad burnt an effigy of the MP and demanded his arrest.