Bigger India
UC Santa Cruz History of Consciousness Professor Denies Accusations of Sexual Harassment
In a circulated letter, UC Santa Cruz Professor Gopal Balakrishnan has been accused of several incidents of sexual harassment, charges that he denies.
Tapping into the global “me too” movement, UC Santa Cruz Professor Gopal Balakrishnan has been accused of various instances of sexual harassment, but the Indian American professor told India-West that in contrast to this wider movement, “Not a single person has stepped forward under their own name – it’s all anonymous accusers.”
More than 130 students and faculty members have signed a widely-circulated public statement that details instances of the professor’s alleged harassment of women. When the allegations first surfaced last fall, UC administrators determined there was not enough evidence to merit an investigation. But, following an aggressive campaign by accusers, the university is taking another look, according to media reports.
Balakrishnan vehemently denied the accusations. “I have never done anything like what is described in that account,” he asserted to India-West in an e-mail.