Mysore varsity in charge V-C held guilty of sexual abuse

DHNS
September 20, 2017

Bengaluru, Sept 20: An internal probe conducted by the University of Mysore (UoM) has found Prof Dayanand Mane, senior professor and in-charge vice-chancellor, guilty of sexual harassment charges levelled by several female students of the varsity.

The Internal Complaints Committee of UoM, which probed the charges of sexual harassment against Mane, has recommended to the varsity to “withdraw/divest Mane of all powered positions, including chairmanship and deanship, with immediate effect”.

The Committee has also recommended to UoM to cancel Mane’s Research Guideship, as “the victims are research scholars”. The Committee, which initiated the probe at the behest of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission on January 21, 2016, met 17 times before submitting its report to the varsity on August 31, 2016. DH has accessed a copy of the report.

The five-member committee headed by professor and chairperson of Food Science and Nutrition, Asna Urooj, has made three major recommendations and 23 observations, despite the main victim turning hostile.

The Committee has observed that Mane has been acting as a sexual predator, victimising female students, especially those from oppressed sections, North Eastern states and from abroad. An unopened packet of condom discovered in his office drawer last year, is one of the main incriminating evidences against him, as per the report.

Witness account

The witnesses -- teaching and non-teaching faculty, and students, who deposed before the Committee -- stated that Mane would verbally abuse his research scholars in derogatory language.

While a student with disabilities was all the time humiliated, another research scholar alleged that he was forced to divorce his wife because of Mane’s conduct, the report stated.

While a Bangladeshi Law student is learnt to have levelled molestation charges against Mane, several female students have complained that he used to call them over phone and offer them rides in his car, the report said.

Secrecy & inaction

The 11-page report was kept under wraps since its submission last August. The then V-C of UoM, K S Rangappa, did not take any action against Mane. Instead, the ICC was dissolved much before its term ended in September 2017. Mane was only acting as the chairman of Department of studies in public administration at that time.

After Rangappa’s term ended in January this year, the committee members submitted a copy of the report to his successor, (acting V-C) Yashvantha Dongre. But he, too, did not act on the report.

Notwithstanding inaction from all quarters, the panel members then sent the report to Governor Vajubhai Vala in January, appealing to him to come to the rescue of scores of female students. Instead, Mane, despite the incriminating evidence against him, was elevated as the varsity’s in-charge V-C in March this year.

Comments

Harschandra
 - 
Thursday, 21 Sep 2017

shame man shame.

 

RAHU attacked KSOU earlier and now it is KETU attacking UOM.

Dr Govinda
 - 
Thursday, 21 Sep 2017

If VC mane has done this, who is to bell the cat ???

 

I doubt it.

Danish
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Sep 2017

Big shame.. all these happening in education instituion?

Hari
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Sep 2017

Maniac. u should treat students like your own kids.. Shame on you

Kumar
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Sep 2017

Recently many news came like this. We parents are scared to send our daughter to school/college

Ganesh
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Sep 2017

Moron... should get proper punishment

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News Network
February 16,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 16: Radhakrishnan V Nair embarked on a journey of exploring complex subjects and opening up the cocoon of existence that puts people in a zone of comfort. One sole mission of the book is to encourage the readers to break out of that comfort zone.

The architect by profession has a novel to his credit, 'The Cave of Freedom' that had earned him critical acclaim from Jnanpith Awardee UR Ananthamurthy. On February 13, a discussion and the reading of his book had the audience riveted to their seats.

The launch of the book on February 13 at Bangalore International Centre was presided over by Bhaskar Rao, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, along with Vasudev Murthy, Technology Management Consultant, leadership trainer and author and Ramessh RK, an industrial designer and choir singer who read out passages from the book.

'Radhakrishnan is trying to inspire you to discover the pleasure of breaking the glass barrier along with the protagonist Dr Prateek. The story 'burst out'", said Radhakrishnan when it could not be contained any longer.

The glass ceiling saw a lot of interest from the audience present. The book includes Dr Prateek who is obsessed with saving lives in the Emergency Room (ER) as the world slept. Then on an eerie rainy night, he is kidnapped.

He struggles to come to terms with the improbability of waking up somewhere in Europe and making his serendipitous escape and being back at work the next morning - all physically impossible from the point of view of time and locality.

The glass ceiling challenges you to see tragedies and their impact on a person's mental well-being from a different perspective.

Radhakrishnan V Nair is an architect by profession and runs his Bengaluru-based firm - Archaid, the tagline of which is 'Architecture in Collaboration with Nature'.

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News Network
April 29,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 29: Indian women have always been the epitome of beauty, strength, and intelligence. Today, the success of Indian women across various walks of life has proven that they have earned this reputation.

One such dedicated social worker is Dr Sunitha Manjunath, the Founder of 'Sumanaa Foundation' of Sanjay Nagar in Bengaluru.

Sumanaa Foundation, based out of Sanjay Nagar in Bengaluru has been on the forefront to support people in distress due to COVID-19. 

The foundation under the leadership of its founder Dr Sunitha Manjunath procured a total of 20000 kgs of farm-fresh produce in four phases from farmers who are unable to sell it due to the COVID Lockdown and have distributed it across 6000 families across Bengaluru city.

"We have procured these vegetables after identifying farmers who are unable to sell their produce due to the challenges of lockdown.

This initiative not only supports the farmers by helping them get the right price for their produce, but also gives us an opportunity to get vegetables at a reasonable price by escaping all middlemen and commissions. We have identified 6000 poor families mainly around Bengaluru city who have not been able to earn their daily wages and given them coupons.

The foundation members identify genuine cases and give them coupons which can be redeemed in exchange of an essential vegetables kit," said Dr Sunitha Manjunath, the founder of Sumanaa Foundation.

These vegetables have been procured from Chikkaballapura, Doddaballapura, and surrounding villages and included vegetables like onions, tomatoes, capsicum, green chillies, beans, carrots, brinjal, potatoes, beetroots etc. These farmers got a fair price for their produce and were overjoyed to know that their harvest is being distributed free of cost to needy and deserving families.

Sumanaa Foundation has been actively supporting the city administration in fighting COVID-19 pandemic. In the recent weeks the foundation has distributed sanitisers and masks to BBMP Pourakarmikas.

The foundation also cooked food for over 400 people each day. This food was handed over to the city administration, which further distributed this to the police department and other staff working across government departments during these testing times.

Dr Sunitha, an engineer by qualification, had enjoyed a high-flying corporate career with BOSCH. She was offered a global role, which she turned down to setup her NGO, 'Sumanaa Foundation' and to serve the needy in and around her locality. Over the past seven years, the NGO with 70 members has done a wide range of activities to support the poor and needy in Bengaluru.

The core team of Sumanaa Foundation works under the leadership of its president Dr Sunitha Manjunath and includes young and energetic individuals like Manjunath K, Prakash K, Vidya Prakash, Sindu Gowda, Byregowda, Nishita Arjun, Arjun Varadaraj and Manoj Kumar
'Meal of Humanity' is a notable initiative of Dr Sunitha Manjunath and her team. Under this program, over 300 poor people are served mid-day meals every day. 

This is currently a self-sustained program with no external funding. Dr Sunitha Manjunath, her family members, and friends contribute their hard-earned money to bring smiles to hundreds of migrant workers and daily wage laborers.

'Wall of Humanity' is another unique concept implemented by Sumanaa Foundation. People can leave used or unnecessary daily use products like clothes, toys, groceries, etc at a designated area. This can be picked by anyone in need of these items. This self-helping model has touched the lives of hundreds of people in and around the area of Sanjay Nagar.

Regular blood donation camps, eye checkups, scholarship for students, tailoring machine distribution, environmental initiatives, Swacch Bharath programs, wall painting across the roadside are just a few among the hundreds of activities undertaken by Sumanaa Foundation regularly under the leadership of Dr Sunitha Manjunath and her team of friends.

"A life without an aim is worthless and so is a death without achievement. The aim of my life is to touch the lives of the hundreds of people who are not as privileged as you and me. I'd like to thank my husband Manjunath, my In-Laws and my friends from Sumanaa Foundation who work tirelessly alongside me across all our initiatives," said an elated Dr Sunitha Manjuanth on receiving the 'ET Power Icons' award for Excellence in Social Service and Public Initiatives.

Dr Sunitha Manjunath has also been awarded the prestigious 'Kempegowda Award' and many more such awards for her contribution to the society.

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News Network
February 7,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 7: Karnataka's Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services on Thursday issued guidelines for testing, isolation, hospital admission and discharge in view of the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in Wuhan city of China, a virus that has infected nearly 20,000 globally and has killed more than 500 in China.

According to the guidelines, the sample of any passenger, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, with a history of travel to or residence in Wuhan city of China in the last 14 days, has to be collected and tested.

And the sample of any health personnel, who develops symptoms of the virus after being associated with the infected persons, has to be collected.

The circular further says that the clinical sample of any suspect/probable case of nCoV will be sent to the laboratory confirmation and the case will be kept in isolation. If tested positive, the treatment has to be provided as per the existing guidelines.

The virus originated from Wuhan, a Chinese city, in December and has since then spread to various parts around the world.

China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate.

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