A Chinese professor has been sacked by a prominent university in Shanghai after a sexual assault allegation against him prompted public outrage.
Last weekend, a part-time graduate student at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics accused the associate professor, 55-year-old Qian Fengsheng, of sexual assault.
In a detailed online post, the student said the professor had been sending her suggestive WeChat messages since September.
On November 16, he offered to answer the student's academic questions in his car " only to drive to a deserted road, where he allegedly locked the car, kissed her forcibly and sexually assaulted her, according to the post.
The 28-year-old student, who was not named, also shared with the public screenshots of the WeChat messages sent by the professor as well as recordings of the two talking after the alleged assault.
In the recordings, the man was heard asking the woman to treat him as a lover.
The allegations have prompted an online storm as angry internet users call for an investigation.
On Monday, the university said Qian's teaching license and academic title would be revoked over the misconduct.
"Our investigation concluded that Qian Fengsheng seriously contravened professional ethics as a teacher, and caused an extremely bad social influence," the university said in a statement on the Twitter-like Weibo.
The professor also resigned as an independent director of three listed companies, according to filings to China's stock exchanges. He has not commented on the allegations.
On her own Weibo account, the alleged victim said she had reported the case to police, and would continue pursuing criminal punishment for the professor with the help of a lawyer.
Victims of sex crimes are often subjected to strong stigma in China. And despite a nascent #MeToo movement last year, public accusations of sexual misconduct are rare.
On social media, the student's allegations have reignited a discussion about the lack of institutional protection against sexual misconduct.
Few Chinese universities provide anti-sexual harassment education for students and staff. Women's rights activists say victims also face difficulties seeking help from authorities.
The student at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics told Chinese news site Caixin that she was questioned at a police station in Shanghai overnight after she made a report on Monday evening.
The questioning focused on whether the woman had resisted or not during the alleged assault, according to the report.
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