After Angry Protests, Cops Arrest Man For Masturbating In Front Of SRM University Girl Student In Chennai
Hundreds of angry students of the SRM Institute of Science and Technology at Kattankulathur erupted in protest on Thursday night (22 November) after an undergraduate girl student alleged that an employee of the university had masturbated in front of her, News Today has reported.
The protesting students also charged the university administration with laxity in acting on the sexual harassment complaint by the student.
As per one of the protest, a second-year undergraduate student of the university was sexually harassed by a male sanitation worker inside a women’s hostel lift on Thursday afternoon (22 November) at around 3 pm.
As the harassed girl student tried to stop the elevator and get out, the man blocked her path. But she screamed, resisted him off and ran out, looking for help, a student said.
The report quoted SRM University vice-chancellor Sandeep Sancheti denying the allegations of inaction and saying that the administration would take note of the complaint.
“Students are discussing with us. Whatever the matter is, it will be taken care of. If there is a matter, it will be inquired,” Sancheti said.
As per account of another protester, the hostel warden, with whom the affected student had raised the issue, deliberately delayed giving access to the elevator's CCTV footage of the elevator and even tried to avoid registering a complaint for over two hours.
“The employee was identified by the student in the CCTV footage. However she was asked to stay mum about the incident by the authorities,” a protester alleged.
What infuriated the students further was the hostel warden accusing the harassed girl of wearing short clothes and insinuating that she deserved what she got.
Chennai police officials who reached the spot said that the protesters dispersed after getting assurances from the university administration.
As per latest reports, the accused identified as 26-year-old Arjunan Subramaniam, has been arrested by the Maraimalai Nagar police after a senior warden filed a police complaint. The police has registered a case under sections 354 (outraging the modesty of women) and 294 (B) (abusing) of the IPC.
SRM Institute of Science and Technology is founded and owned by T R Pachamuthu aka Pari Vendar, a businessman-politician and owner of leading Tamil news channel Puthiya Thamarai.
In 2016, Chennai Central Crime Branch had arrested him in connection with cases of cheating filed by parents of some medical aspirants and the mysterious disappearance of film producer Madhan.