Mangalore, July 26: The lecturer of St Raymond’s PU College located at Vamanjoor, who is accused of sexually harassing a girl student is still missing. The accused has switched off his cell phone and not able to trace.
The lecturer in question, Harish Acharya (37) from Kalladka, who went missing after the allegations surfaced, has not been found ever since he left home. As he left his home without taking along anything other than the clothes worn by him and his cell phone, the police guess that he might have committed suicide. Acharya is a Kannada lecturer in St Raymond’s collage since the last 12 years.
Acharya reportedly called a few of his close friends and told them that a conspiracy had been hatched to defame him because he mingled well with students and insisted on maintaining discipline. ‘I never have committed any wrong. I have always behaved well with everyone. You have seen how my character is being assassinated on television. This is the last call you will ever receive from me, and I will not disturb you people henceforth,’ he told his friends. However, when they tried to contact him, his phone was found switched off.
The college management has solidly stood behind him, and has accused the student of reacting in an adverse manner to the discipline imposed on students by the missing lecturer. The managing committee of the college has said that it would prefer to extend wholehearted cooperation to police investigation instead of choosing to conduct an internal inquiry.
The students of the college are divided in their opinion over the issue. Some have extended support to the girl student, while others are stoic in their strong support of the lecturer.
The policemen of Kankanady had conducted tower location search, as Acharya’s cell phone remains switched off and found that the last time his cell phone was detected by a tower was near Manchi in Kukkaje. This area houses a large number of stone quarries, which are not only very deep, but also covered with standing water. The police are searching for him everywhere in the area.
The educational institution which Harish Acharya served, wants him to muster courage, not to own cowardice, and face the investigations without fear. No one knows what twist this case will acquire with each passing day.
