Kalakshetra faculty booked for sexual harassment

After days of unrest within Kalakshetra over sexual harassment allegations against a faculty member followed by protests, Chennai Police on March 31 booked a case of sexual harassment based on a 'written' complaint by a former student of the institute on March 31. Adyar AWPS (All Women Police Station) have booked a case under Section 354 A (sexual harassment), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act. The complainant had stated in her complaint that the faculty had sent obscene messages to her through social media and had also sexually harassed her when she was a student at the institution. The complaint follows days of protest at the institute demanding action against the instructors who have been accused of sexual harassment. Earlier in the day, Additional Commissioner of police (south), Prem Anand Sinha told that no criminal investigation was underway as police had not received any 'written' complaint. On March 31, A S Kumari, Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Commission for Women met the protesting students at the institute and collected their statements. Some of the students showed WhatsApp conversations of the perpetrator crossing the limit.