Indore: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore has initiated a formal probe into a sexual harassment complaint filed by a female student against a male member of the institute's Placement Committee, officials said on Thursday.

Institute Director Himanshu Rai told PTI that the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) began its investigation immediately after receiving the complaint. The female student alleged that the harassment took place during an off-campus event. “Immediately after receiving the complaint, the ICC asked the student concerned to step down from the Placement Committee. He is no longer part of the committee,” Rai said.

Earlier, the local unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had submitted a memorandum to the IIM director, claiming that a student on the placement committee had sexually harassed multiple female students during an off-campus event. The memorandum demanded a fair, transparent, and timely inquiry, along with mental, legal, and administrative support for the victims. It also called for dissolution of the current Placement Committee and formation of a new one to safeguard the investigation from any “pressure or influence.”

Director Rai said the investigation is being conducted in accordance with the Vishaka guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, which provide a framework for preventing and probing sexual harassment complaints in workplaces. The guidelines are implemented through ICCs established under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Workplaces with 10 or more employees are mandated to set up such committees to hear and resolve complaints of sexual harassment against women.