AHMEDABAD: Senior officials of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, said on Saturday that Krishnesh Mehta — a senior faculty member of the product design discipline — had been issued the termination letter after they received complaints that he was prone to making “undesirable and out-of-syllabus references to sexuality and sexual relations in his classes”. Mehta had subsequently resigned.The officials made the statement after an email began circulating in the NID community speculating about the nature of punitive action to be taken against Mehta. Clamour to act against him had been growing a few months before October. NID officials said that the matter was not discussed in public fora keeping in mind the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.Pradumna Vyas, the NID director, said that the institute is not going to involve Mehta in any of its academic or administrative matters. “He is not being allowed into NID campuses except when called for official matters,” Vyas said. He said that the institute has taken appropriate and stern action in line with established procedure. “The fear expressed (in email) that NID is brushing the issue under the carpet or protecting the delinquent is unfounded,” he said.“A few years ago, a similar complaint about behaviour amounting to sexual harassment was made against Mehta. He had given a written apology,” said a senior NID official. “He was punished with the stoppage of one increment. He was also warned that any such conduct in future would be dealt with sternly.”When the institute received the second complaint, an internal inquiry committee was set up. “Based on the inquiry report, a show-cause notice was issued to Mehta. His response was not satisfactory,” the official said. “Therefore, it was decided to terminate his services.”Mehta, however, apologized for putting the institute in an awkward situation and submitted his resignation. He was relieved of his duties from October 5.

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