Alleged Harassment Of 3 Students At Unsri, Lecturer Initials R Arrested By South Sumatra Police Investigators With 13 Questions

SUMSEL - An individual lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at Sriwijaya University (Unsri) as the reported case of alleged sexual harassment of female students met the summons of the South Sumatra Police investigators.

The reported lecturer with the initials R was examined intensively by investigators from the General Criminal Investigation Directorate. R arrived at the South Sumatra Police headquarters, Palembang, at 09.50 WIB accompanied by his legal advisor.

R's legal advisor, Gandi Arius, said that there were at least 13 questions that investigators asked his client. Question points about the reported work as a lecturer.

"There are 13 questions, all related to work problems (as lecturers). That's all. Later (the examination) is during a break, praying," he said during the examination break in Palembang, Antara, Friday, December 10.

Previously, the reported lecturer with the initials R was reported by three female students, each F, C and D, for allegedly sexually harassing them verbally through short messages on social media.

The Director of the General Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Sumatra Police, Kombes Hisar Siallagan, said that the report on the alleged harassment of the R lecturer had gone from investigation to investigation stage. This is because investigators have examined the complainant and are continuing to collect evidence.

The three reporters were met directly by investigators, in this case, Sub-Directorate IV Renakta, because they did not attend the scheduled examination on Tuesday, December 7 last. "Investigators have come to them for questioning," he said.

Meanwhile, the lecturer R previously admitted that he did not commit the harassment as intended by the three students.

Because according to him, he always maintains an attitude towards students like a lecturer should. He even admitted that the telephone number to send messages containing sexual harassment was not his number, as stated by the complainant.

"That's not my number. I just act formally like a lecturer. I have a lot of students under my guidance. I only know that F and C are my students who are threatened with five more years of college, while D doesn't know," said R in Palembang.

However, due to the alleged sexual harassment case, the Unsri Rectorate has disabled the lecturer R from his position as Head of the Management Department of the Unsri Faculty of Economics, Bukit Besar campus, Palembang. The decision to deactivate was stated in the rector's letter number 452/UN9/SK.BUK.KP/2021 which was issued on Tuesday, December 7th. Including being released as a lecturer until the case is finished.

The coordinator of the assistance for victims of the advocacy team and the Coalition for the Elimination of Sexual Violence Unsri Alumni Family Association (IKA) Unsri M Widad said his party had submitted the available evidence for the alleged harassment committed by the reported student to the student.

One of them is proof of sending a short message from an unscrupulous R lecturer who they believe was sent to the student as the reporter using his personal number.

Therefore, he hopes that the police investigators will be able to immediately issue a fair decision. "We have submitted it to the investigators. We hope that the investigators will immediately make a fair decision," he said.