Shimla, April 17 -- The Himachal Pradesh education department on Thursday dismissed three college teachers from service on sexual harassment charges. The dismissed teachers are Virender Sharma, assistant professor of mathematics in Shimla; Anil Kumar, assistant professor of chemistry at Sidharth Government College, Nadaun; and Pawan Kumar, professor of Kathak at Jawahar Lal Nehru Government College of Fine Arts, Shimla. In the dismissal order, state education secretary Rakesh Kanwar said that the sanctity of the teacher-student relationship is built on trust and safety. Any act of sexual impropriety directed towards a student strikes at the very root of this relationship, undermines institutional discipline, and erodes public confidence in the education system. The order, dated April 16, noted that allegations of moral turpitude and misconduct of the gravest order were proven against the trio. Their explanations failed to rebut the evidence or mitigate the severity of their actions. Virender Sharma was indicted for harassing a BSc second-year student at Rajiv Gandhi Government Degree College, Chaura Maidan, Shimla, in December 2021. Sharma maintained inappropriate contact via messages and took the student to his house, where he attempted physical contact against her will. The student escaped after resisting his advances. He is presently posted at Tissa. Anil Kumar was found guilty of repeatedly touching a BSc first-year student inappropriately during a chemistry practical on November 14, 2024. Kumar later absconded from the college to evade an inquiry by the women's grievance redressal cell, further demonstrating a misuse of his official position. He was placed under suspension and was reporting to headquarters at directorate of higher education, Shimla. Pawan Kumar was indicted for attempting to molest a seventh-semester student on the night of January 22, 2024, after forcing students to attend late-night practice sessions at his house. Following the incident, he allegedly attempted to hush up the matter, with his wife visiting the survivor's native home to pressure the family into withdrawing the complaint. He is presently posted at Government College, Dharamshala. The inquiry also found that Pawan Kumar organised an unauthorised performance at Governor House, adopted a dictatorial attitude, and manipulated internal assessment marks. He awarded the complainant abnormally high marks to mask his intentions and failed to maintain mandatory attendance records....