Central University of Kerala suspends asst prof Efthikar Ahamed arrested for sexual assault

Kasaragod: Central University of Kerala Vice-Chancellor in charge Prof Baiju K C has suspended from service assistant professor Efthikar Ahamed B, who was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman at a water park near Kannur.

In the order issued on Wednesday, May 15, Prof Baiju said the faculty member of the Department of English and Comparative Literature was being placed under suspension till further orders because the university's competent authority was contemplating initiating disciplinary proceedings against him in the alleged misconduct.

On May 13, Taliparamba police arrested Dr Efthikar Ahamed (51) after he allegedly groped a woman (22) at the wave pool in Vismaya Amusement Park at Parassinikadavu near Kannur.

Based on the survivor's complaint, police charged him with Section 354 (assaulting or using criminal force to outrage woman's modesty) and Section 354 A (1) (i) (sexual harassment by physical contact and advances) of the Indian Penal Code.

The same day, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court of Taliparamba remanded him in judicial custody and he was sent to Kannur District Jail.

The university said that he had been suspended from service because his custody was extended for more than 48 hours. This is Efthikar Ahamed's third suspension from service in nearly six months over allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

He was first suspended from service on November 28, 2023, after first-year MA English students accused him of sexual harassment by giving lewd lectures under the garb of poetry classes. A student of the same batch accused him of molesting her when she fainted in class while writing an exam on November 13.

That suspension was revoked after nearly three months on February 23. But Prof Baiju suspended him again on February 29, after the university learnt that the High Court, as part of the anticipatory bail condition, had asked him not to enter Hosdurg taluk for two months or till the departmental inquiry against him was completed.

After a few weeks, the university revoked the suspension again though the department inquiry was not completed.

Meanwhile, Bekal Police completed their investigation into the students' complaint and submitted a charge sheet indicting Dr Efthikar Ahamed for sexual assault.

The latest arrest in another sexual assault comes when the trial in the earlier case had not started.