“This is Not a Big Thing”: JIPMER Resident Decries Director’s Insensitive Response to Sexual Harassment

In an open letter, Dr. Rosha Sandesh, a former resident doctor at JIPMER, Puducherry, has made serious allegations of sexual harassment against a faculty member of the Department of Pharmacology at the institution.

Dr. Sandesh alleges that she received an obscene email from the faculty member seeking sexual favors in exchange for academic benefits. The email contained specific personal details that only select people in the department would be privy to. This raised Dr. Sandesh’s suspicions that the sender was likely someone from within the department itself.

When Dr. Sandesh approached a senior faculty for help, he initially downplayed the incident. However, when confronted together, the accused faculty member admitted the email was sent from his ID. Despite this, he denied sending it and blamed Dr. Sandesh for framing him.

Dr. Sandesh states that the accused did not cooperate with filing a cybercrime complaint she wanted to ascertain the truth. She also alleges facing continued mental harassment from him and feeling unsafe in his presence as he remained in a position of authority over her.

According to the open letter, the JIPMER administration and Internal Complaints Committee have been biased towards protecting the accused and not taken concrete action so far. Dr. Sandesh’s cybercrime complaint remains pending.

In an exclusive interview, Dr. Sandesh stated that she hopes to get justice and prevent the issue from being buried like countless others at the institute. She wants to raise awareness so women know they can speak up and deter would-be harassers in medical colleges.

Dr. Sandesh’s open letter and interview highlight the alarming reality of sexual misconduct faced by young residents at the hands of faculty. Her courage to expose this merits wider support to ensure a fair probe and justice.

Exclusive conversation with NewsTapOne.com

Dr Rosha Sandesh spoke to Sai Ram B, Founding Editor & Head of Network Operations at NewsTapOne.com

Q: The Director mentioned, “This is not a big thing,” regarding your issue. How do you react to that?

A: Regarding what the director said, whatever be the intent behind the mail or whoever sent it, it was my modesty being compromised in the mail. So statements like this happens to everyone, this is not a big thing, just seems very insensitive and shows how such issues have been handled for long here.

Q: Are there other residents facing similar concerns, and do you plan to take this matter to another platform?

A: Cybercrime is the only way that this case can be solved. So I’m counting on that. My intent behind sharing publicly is so that women know they can speak up, and also so that people, especially in medical colleges who think they can harass people and get away with it, no longer have the guts to do so. Regarding other residents, I hope whoever has similar concerns be brave and come out.

Q: Any updates on the department’s action regarding the faculty member seeking sexual favors through email?

A: No. The department or admin has not given me any reassurance or talked to me. I am still being blamed for this, and for posting this online. So I think the only thing that could help Me is a cybercrime report.