CHENNAI: Alleging inaction despite multiple complaints, students of the College of Engineering, Anna University staged a protest on campus on Friday, demanding the immediate suspension of a professor accused of sexual harassment.
Holding placards and sitting in protest outside the campus, the students demanded that the professor be suspended pending inquiry and that an independent committee be constituted to individually record statements from all women students in the department.
“We have filed two POSH complaints against the professor in the last two years, but no action was taken, citing lack of sufficient evidence,” students of the department said, accusing the university’s internal mechanism of failing to act.
The students further alleged that the university’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) framework was “protecting its own” and not conducting a fair inquiry. “Since the university’s POSH committee is not taking any steps, we decided to escalate the issue,” they said.
“Our course ends in a few weeks. We have been raising our voice against him for years. We do not want to complete the course without exposing him and making him accountable,” a student said.
The protest comes a day after a final-year student approached the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner seeking action against the professor, alleging prolonged sexual harassment over the past three years.
In her complaint, the student alleged that the professor initially gained her trust by offering academic support after learning about her family’s financial situation, helping her secure internships and presenting himself as a father figure.
However, she alleged that his behaviour changed over time, beginning in her third year, when he started engaging in inappropriate conversations about the female body and frequently calling her.
“He forced me to speak to him over phone several times and spoke inappropriately,” the student stated in her complaint.
Despite expressing discomfort and blocking him on phone and social media, the professor allegedly continued to contact her through her friends, asking them to make her call him.
The complainant also claimed that the professor had exhibited similar behaviour with other students, many of whom are hesitant to come forward.
The student's complaint was acknowledged and forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner, Mylapore, for further action.