TIRUNELVELI: Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) administration has launched an inquiry into allegations of prolonged workplace harassment, levelled by a woman guest lecturer against two professors, following directions from Dr T Jayasudha, Member Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) here on Wednesday.
In her petition submitted to TANSCHE, the National Commission for Women, and the Tamil Nadu Commission for Women, the guest lecturer accused professors Dr C Kannan and S Nagarajan of instigating students against her.
Alleging that Kannan began harassing her during her PhD tenure at the university, the guest lecturer stated in her complaint, "Throughout my PhD coursework, he subjected me to mental and sexual harassment. I possess substantial evidence to support these claims. At present, he is mobilising certain students against me in an attempt to tarnish my academic record. Professor Nagarajan exerted undue pressure on me to alter revaluation results in favour of his wife Uma Maheswari, who had failed her examination.
When contacted by TNIE, MSU Vice Chancellor N Chandrasekaran said the university's registrar was conducting an internal inquiry. "In the complaint submitted to us, the guest lecturer has alleged workplace harassment. She has also raised charges of sexual harassment against C Kannan. A fair and transparent inquiry will be ensured," he said.
The victim told TNIE tonight that a representative from the Tami Nadu State Commission for Women conducted an inquiry last week based on the lecturer's complaint. "I do not know which organisation conducted the inquiry. They directly contacted both the parties and conducted an inquiry," Chandrasekaran added.