In Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, Professor Rajneesh Kumar, the chief of the geography department at PC Bagla College has been accused of sexually exploiting his female students. After several female students levelled allegations of sexual abuse, the college authorities suspended Professor Rajneesh Kumar. The accused was working as the chief proctor of PC Bagla Degree College. The accused is currently absconding, however, the police are conducting searches to arrest him.
The Uttar Pradesh Police has also registered a case against Rajneesh Kumar under various sections, including rape. The Hathras Police said that the accused has been booked under BNS sections 64 (2) (rape), 68 (sexual intercourse by a person in authority), and 75 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty).
The 54-year-old accused professor’s alleged misdeeds came to light after some female students sent anonymous complaints to the National Commission for Women (NCW) and other senior officials.
In addition to accusing Professor Rajneesh Kumar of sexually assaulting them, the students also shared photographs with NCW in which the accused professor could be seen in objectionable positions with some female students. Ten months back, the police had received an anonymous letter in which the victims accused Rajneesh Kumar of blackmailing them into sexual acts in exchange for good grades and teaching jobs.
Alongside the letter, the victims also shared a pen drive with 59 videos of Kumar getting intimate with students. Reports say that the videos shared along with the complaint letter which are currently viral on social media date back to 2023. As per a Dainik Bhaskar report, the police have found 65 such obscene videos. After this, on 13th March, Inspector Sunil Kumar lodged a complaint in the police station, however, by the time the police caught the accused, he had absconded.
UP शिक्षा के मंदिर में प्रोफेसर की हैवानियत, अच्छे रिजल्ट और नौकरी का झांसा देकर किया रेप, @Uppolice कब करेगी कार्यवाही ।
— Shivam Pandey (@shivampandeygnd) March 17, 2025
आरोपी 20 साल से इस कृत्य को अंजाम दे रहा था और छात्राओं को वीडियो बनाकर ब्लैकमेल करता था। इन गिद्धों से बेटियाँ कैसे बचेंगी।#Hathras @myogiadityanath pic.twitter.com/lILv3IoaHa
The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) conducted a preliminary investigation into the matter based on the photographs provided by students to the authorities. The Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) confirmed the authenticity of the accusations levelled against the chief proctor.
थाना हाथरस गेट क्षेत्रांतर्गत बाग्ला डिग्री कॉलेज के प्रोफेसर रजनीश के द्वारा प्रलोभन देकर छात्राओ का यौन उत्पीडन करने के सम्बन्ध मे थाना हा0 गेट पर सुसंगत धाराओ मे अभियोग पंजीकृत है।पुलिस द्वारा आरोपी की शीघ्र गिरफ्तारी हेतु टीमो का गठन किया गया। उक्त के सम्बन्ध #SPHts की बाइट pic.twitter.com/ZLoLnxT5pd
— HATHRAS POLICE (@hathraspolice) March 16, 2025
Meanwhile, the district magistrate Rahul Pandey has formed a four-member committee to probe the matter within seven days. The committee is comprised of the sub-divisional magistrate, the deputy superintendent of police, the tehsildar, and the district education officer.
A major challenge in the case is the absence of a recorded statement by the complainant, who remains hesitant to reveal her identity, fearing stigma and harassment.
Amidst the outrage over the case, several videos of the accused proctor sexually abusing the students have gone viral on social media.
It has also been reported that the accused was sexually exploiting female students for the last 20 years. Earlier a case involving similar allegations was registered against Rajneesh Kumar, however, he was reportedly proven innocent. Police investigation revealed that the girl students complained to the college management 5 times in 18 months against the accused, however, no stern action was taken.
Reports say that the accused used to call female college students to his bungalow and entice them with the promise of good marks. The accused would then sexually exploit the girls and allegedly record videos of the same to blackmail the victims later. As per an AajTak report, the accused also uploaded some of these videos on pornographic websites.
