Just a few weeks after hounding a gay professor, Srinivas Ramchandra Siras, to what is being suspected as suicide, the Aligarh Muslim University has revealed that it has no record of either the proctorial board or the so-called evidence that led to such gross violation of law and liberty.

In response to a query filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the university has said that it does not have any record of any of its officials having seen the video clip that allegedly showed the late professor indulging in homosexual activities.

The university has revealed that it suspended Prof Siras, reader and chairman of the department of modern Indian languages, on February 9 on the basis of just a report prepared by two of its officials.

The university revealed these details in response to a 16-point query filed by Delhi-based gay rights activist Anjali Gopalan.

Following his suspension, Prof Siras was ordered to vacate his campus accommodation, and he was found dead on April 6.

Significantly, the university's decision to suspend the professor came seven months after Delhi High Court legalised consensual gay sex, even as it “charged” Prof Siras of exercising this legal right within the privacy of his home on the campus.

Shouldn't the university have, instead, taken action against those who invaded the professor's privacy and filmed him without his knowledge?

Despite the clear legal sanction for consensual gay sex, the university actually served the professor a “chargesheet” for having exercised his legal right.

And now, the university has admitted it does not even have any record of just who confirmed the so-called evidence against the deceased professor.

It acted on the basis of a single-page report prepared by the proctor and the public relations officer.

“How can they take a report as evidence?” said Tariq Islam, reader, department of philosophy.

According to this report, the two reached Prof Siras’ house in the university on the night of February 8, 2010 when they found media persons talking to the professor. “Since we were not aware of any incident/happening, we took the media persons in another room and were informed by them of the business going on in the house,” says the report on the basis of which the professor was suspended.

The report further says the university officials saw the video clippings of Prof Siras involved in homosexual activity with a rickshaw puller.

“I have seen the clip and I believe it is enough to suspend him under rules 403-C of the AMU statute on the grounds of misconduct,” Rahat Abrar, AMU spokesperson, had told India Today magazine.

Yet, the university has said in its response to the RTI query, “No record is available in the proctor office that who viewed the indecent video clip featuring Dr Siras.”