Ashim Mitra, an Indian professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City, used students from India to perform menial tasks at his home in the US, reported The Kansas City Star.
The professor compelled his students to act as his personal servants. They hauled equipment and bused tables at his social events and were expected to tend his lawn, look after his dog and water the house plants, according to nearly a dozen former students that The Star spoke to.
Dozens more declined to go on the record for the story, said the report.
Through Mitra’s hints and direct threats, students said they feared he would have their visas revoked if they did not comply with his demands, reported The Star.
A student who earned her doctorate at the UMKC pharmacy school in 2013 told The Star that students feared the repercussions, if they refused Mitra.
The report said that the university knew about the professor's behavior but it overlooked the complaints for years as Mitra was among the successful faculty members, who were helpful in gathering funds in million dollars for research at the university.
But one of those colleagues, Mridul Mukherji, who is also from India, is suing Mitra and university officials. He filed two related lawsuits in Jackson County Circuit Court — one in 2016 and one in 2018, said the report.
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