BJP lawmakers turned up at a rally in Delhi on Monday, holding placards that read "marks for sex" and shouting slogans against Rahul Gandhi. Their target: Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, the Congress MP from Manipur who was fired by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on October 9. Akoijam, a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, faces charges of sexually harassing 11 female students.
The university's internal committee concluded that Akoijam engaged in "unwelcome physical contact" and inappropriate questioning about students' dating lives. He allegedly asked students about their boyfriends and explained the term "quickie" using hand gestures. The panel stated the evidence showed a recurring pattern of conduct inconsistent with professional boundaries.
"I want to ask Rahul Gandhi about his deafening silence," BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj told NDTV from the protest site. "Why is no action taken against the sitting MP of the Congress?" Tarun Chugh, another BJP MP, added that Akoijam is sitting in the "laps" of Congress leaders. "Why is Congress protecting someone who has sexually harassed 11 students?" he asked.
Akoijam denies the charges, calling his dismissal a "witch hunt" and alleging political motivation. He claims he was not given the chance to respond to the committee's findings before his termination. "I don't have the report, I don't have this dismissal," he said on October 9. He cited the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, questioning if due process was followed.
BJP spokesperson Radhika Khera, who defected from Congress in 2024, accused the party of double standards. "Rahul Gandhi has to speak on this issue and take action," she said. The Congress party has not yet announced if it will expel Akoijam. The next step lies with the Congress high command, which must decide whether to drop Akoijam from its ranks or face sustained political attacks from the BJP.