Anna University sexual assault: Will fully cooperate with NCW inquiry, assures Minister Chezhiaan

CHENNAI: The State government would fully cooperate with the National Commission for Women (NCW), which has taken suo motu cognisance of the sexual assault of a student inside the Anna University campus, said Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan on Friday.

"The NCW has come forward to enquire about the incident. The State government, Higher Education Department and the university will extend their full support to the commission's probe," he said.

The university authorities are also assisting the city police, which is investigating the sexual assault case, the minister assured those involved in the crime would be punished. On the immediate measures taken to ensure the safety of students in the university, Chezhiaan said, "We have strictly instructed the management to prevent the entry of any person without a valid identity card."

To a query whether the survivor was given any medical help as per the instruction given by NCW, the minister said apart from medical aid, security was also provided.

Narrating the sequence of events after the attack, he said the survivor contacted the police through the helpline number 100. When the police came for an inquiry, she took the help of a member of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) committee to file a detailed complaint.

Denying reports in a section of the media that the CCTV camera near the incident spot was not working, the minister said there was no surveillance camera installed at the place where the crime took place. Chezhiaan said CCTV cameras were fixed at entry and exit points, hostels, canteens, and other important places, and claimed about 80 per cent of them were working and the rest would be fixed soon.

The POSH committee at the university and the newly constituted probe panel would investigate the case and submit a report, Minister Chezhiaan said.

When asked if the wife of the accused, Gnanasekaran, was a temporary employer of the university, which enabled him to enter the campus freely, the minister said, "It might be possible. Everything will be clear once the investigation is completed."

The minister clarified that additional security measures would be put in place not only at Anna University but also at all higher educational institutions. "As a part of security measures, activities of the POSH committee in the universities will also be thoroughly monitored on a regular basis to ensure that the panel members promptly attend to students’ grievances," he added.

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