Shimla, April 17 -- The Education Department of Himachal Pradesh has dismissed three college teachers from service after departmental inquiries found them guilty of sexually harassing students, officials said on Thursday.

Those dismissed include Virender Sharma, Assistant Professor of Mathematics; Anil Kumar, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Sidharth Government College in Hamirpur district; and Pawan Kumar, Professor (Dance-Kathak) at Jawahar Lal Nehru Government College of Fine Arts.

The dismissal order, issued on April 16 by Secretary (Education) Rakesh Kanwar, stated that the charges of "moral turpitude and misconduct of the gravest order" had been proved against the accused teachers.

"The sanctity of the teacher-student relation...