Activists demand Pachauri's resignation from TERI

A number of activists Wednesday demanded the resignation of TERI director general R.K. Pachauri, who has been accused of sexually harassing a colleague. He has already stepped down as chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and taken leave from TERI.

In a letter addressed to the governing council of TERI, social activists like Indira Jaising, Syeda Hameed, Vrinda Grover, Kavita Krishnan, Suneeta Dhar, Pamela Philipose, Kavita Srivastava and Nivedita Menon said the accused should set "an example of exemplary conduct" by immediately resigning from the post.

They said despite all the laws that have been put in place, and the efforts made by the country to secure the safety of women following the incident of sexual violence Dec 16, 2012, "women in this country continue to be vulnerable in public places, in their homes and at the workplace".

"...the society cannot be changed by law alone and what is really needed is change in our actions and thoughts. It is for the leadership of organisations at the top-level to demonstrate this change with their actions."

"Unfortunately, all too often, we have seen men in positions of power take advantage of the vulnerability of younger women by sexually harassing them, leading to attrition and the dropping out of women from the workforce," they said.

"We, therefore, write to you in our capacity as concerned citizens to call upon Pachauri to resign from the position of director general of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute)," the letter added.