College chairman caught sexually abusing woman staffer on camera

The video shows Dr SN Subramanian, chairman, SNS Group of Educational Institutions in Coimbatore, hugging and trying to kiss a young woman, who tries to evade his embrace.

The footage, shared widely on WhatsApp and Facebook, triggered tension among the college students who later resorted to violence and vandalism by hurling stones and smashing several window panes at the institution. Angered over the act, several members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) blocked the road in front of the college in the afternoon and were soon joined by more than 300 students of the college, who shouted slogans demanding stern action against the chairman.

As tension mounted, a holiday was declared in the college. However, protesting students refused to let 15 buses carrying other students from the college leave the premises. The police later intervened and made way for the buses to pass.

The woman in the video lodged a complaint against Subramanian at the All Women’s Police Station (AWPS) in Thudiyalur, alleging that the chairman spoke to her in a demeaning manner and had been sexually harassing her for a long period of time. The police have registered a CSR and further inquiries are on.

The police said that the woman who had been targeted by him for the past several months had videographed the entire act using a hidden camera. The college management, meanwhile, has assured full cooperation to police investigation.

Of late, educational institutions in Tamil Nadu have come under the radar for sexual harassment cases, the latest being Nirmala Devi’s sex for marks scam at Devanga Arts College in Virudhunagar district. In another incident, a warden of a private hostel in Coimbatore was caught wooing students for sexual favours with the owner of the hostel.