Tribal harassment on IIM Bangalore campus: Professor and his wife’s ‘cookie’ arrived, but were subjected to inhumane torture! Police did not include sections of the SC/ST Act in the FIR.

Despite five days having passed since the case was registered, the police have not yet arrested the accused couple, nor has a prestigious institute like IIM Bangalore taken any strict action against its professor despite such serious allegations.

Published on: May 11, 2026, 1:16 am

Bengaluru – The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) is once again embroiled in a deep controversy. In 2024, a case was filed at the Mico Layout police station against the then director of IIM Bangalore and seven other professors for caste discrimination against a Dalit professor, which is currently pending in the High Court. Now, a 23-year-old tribal woman from Churachandpur, Manipur, who worked as a maid in the house of another professor of the same institute and his wife, has leveled very serious allegations of harassment.

In her report filed at the Mico Layout police station, the young woman stated that IIM-B professor Amar Sapra and his wife Anshu Sapra kept her hungry and thirsty, denied her adequate food, and subjected her to inhumane torture when she was unable to work due to illness. More than five days have passed since the case was registered, but the police have not yet arrested the accused couple, nor has a prestigious institution like IIM Bangalore taken any strict action against its professor despite such serious allegations.

Amar Sapra is a faculty member in the Production and Operations Management Department at IIMB, and his wife, Anshu, runs a franchise of a nursery school on campus. The FIR lists the incident as IIMB Campus, Bilekahalli.

The case concerns Naina (name changed), a resident of Churachandpur district in Manipur, who came to Bengaluru in 2019 through a placement agency to work as a babysitter for Professor Amar Sapra’s family. Initially, things seemed normal, but gradually the atmosphere at home changed, and the campus became nothing less than a torture chamber for Naina. From 2021 onward, the professor and his wife’s behavior worsened, forcing her to work from 6:30 a.m. until after midnight. She received no medicine or rest when she fell ill, and was pressured to continue working. Her mobile phone was taken away, she was forbidden from speaking to her family, and she was not even allowed to leave the campus.

Speaking to The Muknayak, Naina revealed that Professor Amar Sapra’s wife, Anshu, was even more brutal than he was. She would pull her hair, repeatedly hit her, and even slap her while she was talking to others. According to the FIR, on April 15th, at around 2:30 a.m., Anshu pulled Naina’s hair and hit her several times. Naina said, “I didn’t tell anyone out of fear. They would check my phone messages and turn it off to prevent me from going out.” She last visited home last year when her father passed away, and since then, she hasn’t been able to meet her family.

The torture reached its peak on May 4th when she started experiencing pain from kidney stones, but instead of giving her medicine, the two men locked her in a room, starving her. Naina said that she was in severe pain due to the kidney stones. When she told Anshu, he accused her of “acting” and “creating drama.” At the time, she was talking to her mother on the phone. Naina said, “Anshu took my phone, my cousin called, and I asked her to speak to Madam. I don’t know what they discussed. After that, Anshu kept accusing me of lying.”

Saving her life, she reached the house of a professor living in the neighborhood and asked for help. Seeing Naina’s condition, he fed her, gave her shelter, and allowed her to use his phone. Naina informed her family, who in turn informed the Kuki Students’ Organization Bangalore (KSOB). The next morning, with KSOB’s help, a complaint was filed at the Mico Layout police station. The police coordinated with the IIM-B administration, held a meeting with the institute’s board of directors, and Naina was safely evacuated. Her outstanding wages were also paid in full.

After the FIR was filed on May 6, social activists and community leaders raised serious questions about the police’s handling of the case. The police only registered the case under Section 115(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), meaning voluntarily causing hurt, and Section 127(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code, meaning wrongful confinement.

Naina said she was also cheated regarding her wages. Her contract was for 18,000 rupees per month, but in April, she was paid only 10,000 rupees, citing that she hadn’t worked enough days. A further 5,000 rupees were claimed to be paid to the placement agency. When Naina contacted the agency, they denied any responsibility. KSOB President Seilalmuon Haokip revealed that the agency had been quietly collecting fees from employers without Naina’s knowledge.

After the FIR was filed on May 6, social activists and community leaders raised serious questions about the police’s handling. The police registered the case only under Section 115(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), meaning voluntarily causing hurt, and Section 127(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), meaning wrongful confinement. Sections related to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act (SC/ST) and the harassment of women were deliberately omitted. Social organizations allege this is not an oversight but a deliberate attempt to shield the accused from strict legal action.