Hari Padman is a very good teacher: Actress Abhirami Venkatachalam on Kalakshetra row

CHENNAI: Actress and Kalakshetra alumna Abhirami Venkatachalam, who recently came out in support of the institution, stated on Thursday that accused and former assistant professor, Hari Padman, was a very good teacher. He was arrested on Monday on sexual harassment charges filed by a former student.

"I am an alumna of Kalakshetra and have studied in the college. Why I am voicing out on this issue right now is that many people are terming my earlier speech as publicity. There is no publicity that I am going to gain out of that speech that I made earlier. I could have stayed quiet without voicing out, but constantly, the information being circulated on social media that 'Kalakshetra was yuck' was emotionally hurting for me because I have studied in that college. So I voiced out on this issue because I think it is the responsibility every student has and I voiced out as a student of Kalakshetra," she told to reporters in Chennai.

"You all know the issue going on and when we talk to a student, we should allow the student to speak. There are a lot of manipulations in this issue and as an ex-student, I know how many manipulations were there earlier. Before this issue, a Kalakshetra teacher contacted me through my friend and asked me to speak against Hari Padman. She tried so many times, but I straightforwardly stated that I did not want to get involved. Because I know that many people will try to create allegations against a person, it is not the right thing to manipulate someone instead of letting them speak."

She further said that the same teacher, who spread false information about Leela Samson, who was the director at that time, has now asked her to speak against Hari Padman.

The actor also questioned why the students were silent all these days and now suddenly brought up this issue after being manipulated. “I am very sure a couple of students are manipulated. I also heard that first year students were in a way bribed by saying that their probation will be cancelled. I have never faced any sexual abuse in my college. Professor Hari Padman sir did not give us any trouble till we took his class. They are stating it as 'sexual abuse' and I would really like to have a conversation with the students to know what exactly happened. I don't mind sitting and talking as a senior student with them,” she added.

"I am sure Leela Samson was also manipulated to share posts on this issue. I am very sure a lot of manipulation is over this case. Placing allegations on someone is easily being done here and in this issue, I think the female students are being made ‘scapegoats’ and that shouldn't happen. Definitely, Hari Padman sir was a very good teacher," she added.

On March 30, students of the institution protested on the campus for hours demanding a safe space to speak about sexual harassment and action on the sexual harassment allegations at the institute. However, the protests were temporarily halted after the management gave verbal assurance and advised students to concentrate on their upcoming exams.

Earlier this week, Hari Padman was arrested from north Chennai and was sent to judicial custody till April 13. Kalakshetra Foundation had also dismissed him and the other three accused faculty from the Foundation. Further, the foundation on Tuesday said it had constituted a Committee of Inquiry led by a retired judge to investigate the allegations.

Earlier on Wednesday, Divya Hari Padman, the wife of the accused former assistant professor Hari Padman alleged foul play in the complaints of the students. She posited that the complaints were not bona fide, but 'instigation' from two professors. She filed a complaint with the Chennai Commissioner in this regard.