UNL Prof. attempted to rape student who dressed too sexy

Lincoln Journal Star ^ | Oct. 16, 2003 | Leah Thorsen

[angel90210]

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln visiting professor tried to sexually assault a student in his office, saying she asked for it because of how she was dressed, police allege in court documents.

Debasis Chaudhuri, 41, was charged Tuesday with attempted first-degree sexual assault and with first-degree false imprisonment.

Chaudhuri, a computer engineering professor on a temporary teaching assignment from India, has been relieved of his teaching duties, said Meg Lauerman, a university spokeswoman.

He was arrested Sunday after the student filed a report with UNLpolice.

The student told police she went to his Ferguson Hall office Oct. 9 to talk about grades.

He closed the door, pinned her down in a chair and fondled her while she tried to push him away, according to court documents.

After she told him he was a professor and what he was doing was wrong, he shoved his hand down her skirt and tried to pull down her underwear, the documents say.

She also said he held her in the chair and told her to write down her phone number after he fondled her.

Chaudhuri later told police he lost his mind for a few seconds and blamed the student for the incident because of the way she was dressed, documents say.

According to UNL crime statistics, only three sexual assaults on campus were reported to UNLpolice from 2000 to 2002, the most recent figures available Tuesday.

Chaudhuri had been at UNLsince August and has a wife and a child in India, according to a request for a court-appointed lawyer.

He had been granted a nine-month appointment at UNLand was in his first semester of teaching, Lauerman said.

He had a research interest in image processing, an area other UNL professors were interested in studying.

"It was a mutual opportunity for collaborative research," Lauerman said of Chaudhuri's appointment.

Other professors have taken over teaching his classes, she said.

A secretary in UNL's Department of Computer Science and Engineering referred questions about the matter to the university's communications department late Tuesday afternoon.

Chaudhuri remained in the Lancaster County Jail Tuesday night. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 28.

[CanadianLibertarian]

well, in india this sort of behaviour is called "courtship" lol.....indian guys can be the most sexually immature and strange on the planet, though usually not violent.

[franksolich]

Well now, he was just pulling a Clinton.

[hotpotato]

A University of Nebraska-Lincoln visiting professor tried to sexually assault a student in his office, saying she asked for it because of how she was dressed, police allege in court documents.

Prof. Chaudhuri, a guest in our country, will now be instructed on American justice.

[Sender]

"Look, I am telling you,
she was quite the hottie.
My name was being Woody!"

[thegreatbeast]

My gawd, what intolerance! In his culture, which is just as good (probably better) as ours, these things don't have the same meaning. I hope we can straighten this out!

[antiRepublicrat]

I'm sure you're right on all counts.

[VRWCmember]

Good Grief! We're even outsourcing our sexual assaults to India?

[2Hot4You]

PLEASE do not use "pulling" and "Clinton" in the same sentence...

[general_re]

I'm sure this is causing quite a buzz...

[Right Wing Professor]

I'm sure this is causing quite a buzz...

A bit. Comp. Sci. has had a horrible time keeping faculty (like most Comp. Sci. departments) and have had to hire a large number of temps just to keep classes staffed. This guy was obviously a bad choice.

[general_re]

The link in post 17 says that UNL doesn't do the same background checks for temps as for permanent faculty - perhaps it's time to start. Not that this is a cure-all, especially if it turns out that this is the first such incident he's been involved in.

[RightOnline]

"Good Grief! We're even outsourcing our sexual assaults to India?"

Perfect. :)

[Right Wing Professor]

The link in post 17 says that UNL doesn't do the same background checks for temps as for permanent faculty - perhaps it's time to start.

I am unaware of any background checks on permanent faculty; I asked the Academic Senate president about this yesterday, and he knows of no checks either. I have no idea what they claim to be doing, but I can tell you it isn't very much.

We had a permanent faculty member fired for a somewhat similar incident about 3 years ago. When you've got a few thousand employees, one or two are always going to be ass#$les.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Well since she asked for it, it's OK because it's consensual. Did she ever have sex before? This is crucial.

[brownsmartest]

ah so debasis was hindu and was indian that was the explaination.LOL.

And the words come from the great people that gave the world BILL CLINTON AND MICHEL JACKSON AND MIKE TYSON and from the religion that boasts of pervert BISHOPS.

How many of you guys know about great indians and hindus like these,other than debasis.I,would seriouly like to know.

[general_re]

How many of you guys know about great indians and hindus like these...

Like Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson?

[ladyjane]

Most likely he is Christian or Hindu? If Muslims make up 12% and Christian's 2.3% how can you say that?

[brownsmartest]

I,think you did not understand what i meant.India is having Gandhi and Buddha and Nehru for that matter.I am speaking about the "pervert" side of your great men(was there any normal ones)And people should know that they need not always mix up religion and country when it comes to pervert guys like debasis.

[general_re]

You're being too hard on those great men. Granted, Jawaharlal Nehru was an out-and-out socialist, and so his economic policies were probably a lot like what Bill Clinton dreamed about implementing. But other than that, I don't think Gandhi and Buddha and Nehru were really like Clinton and Jackson and Tyson, and so you should really stop attacking them like that - I imagine that most Indians would be pretty insulted by your comparison...

[brownsmartest]

I am sure no indian or hindu would misunderstand me wrongly.These men are without parallel.Everybody should know that debasis do not represent a hindu or an Indian in any sense.Its unfortunate that he is one among us.