Chennai: From teachers allegedly disrobing in class to male students getting groped — an inquiry by the Tamil Nadu State Commission For Women (SCW) has revealed the harassment culture believed to be prevalent at the Kalakshetra campus in the city.
The commission Monday submitted its findings to the chief secretary, Tamil Nadu, and made some recommendations, including immediate legal action against the accused.
ThePrint first reported on 21 March about the allegations of sexual harassment on the campus. Students of the reputed Rukmini Devi Fine Arts College, Kalakshetra Foundation, had levelled harassment charges against staff members and subsequently gone on strike demanding action.
Speaking to ThePrint Monday, SCW chairperson A.S. Kumari said that the culture at Kalakshetra is “extremely toxic”.
Of the hundreds of complaints the SCW received, 47 cases pertain to sexual harassment and the rest are mental and verbal harassment cases, she added.
Kumari said that she had spoken to 12 students on campus and 5 via Zoom, on her visit to campus Friday. While assistant professor Hari Padman faces sexual harassment charges, three other staff members — Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath — have been accused of sexual harassment and molestation.
She said that four male students had written in detail to the internal committee in March about the molestation they had been subjected to by senior repertory dancers.
Talking to ThePrint, SCW sources said that the students — during the inquiry — said “one of the accused took off his veshti (dhoti) in class while asking the girl students to close their eyes”.
“Another girl alleged that Hari Padman had asked her to come to his house, assuring [her that] nobody is there. When she didn’t go, he made her life very difficult at Kalakshetra,” the source added.
“Narrating her ordeal, one of the girls said that while teaching in class, one of the accused grabbed her breasts,” the source said, adding that male students have reported that their private parts were groped.
The sources also corroborated ThePrint report that detailed the kind of body-shaming women allegedly went through at the repertory, where they were dubbed “assparas” in a play where they were portraying apsaras.
While Padman has already been booked under sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 509 (use of acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act, Kumari will be recommending action against the other three accused.
Kumari said she had also summoned foundation director Revathi Ramachandran Monday to her office with the findings of the internal committee report. However, the director had not got the report. A 2-day extension has been given for the receipt of the report, she added.
Recommendations
The recommendations of the SCW include immediate dismissal of all the accused from the campus. “I have already informed the director that none of them are to enter the campus pending inquiry and further action,” Kumari told ThePrint.
The commission has also asked the college to regularly update it about students dropping out. “We want to ensure that all the students, especially the ones who protested, complete their diplomas.”
In addition to this, the commission is directing the Kalakshetra board to set up a grievance committee. “PoSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment committee at workplaces) is for employees, mostly. Students need a grievance cell of their own. We’ve directed the college to set one up immediately,” she said.
“This culture of harassment has sort of become part of Kalakshetra. Seems like marks don’t matter. The kind of favours a student gives, does,” Kumari said.
This is an updated version of the article.
(Edited by Geethalakshmi Ramanathan)