CHENNAI: A male sanitary worker of the SRM Institute of Science and Technology was arrested on Friday on the charge of sexually harassing a female student when she was alone in an elevator on the campus on Thursday.
The action was taken a day after the students staged a protest alleging that the student's complaint was initially not taken seriously and instead, she was shamed with questions about her dress style. A statement from the college on Friday said the hostel warden had been suspended.
"Seeking the consent of the parents resulted in a slight delay in lodging a complaint with the police, during which students became restless. Subsequently, the institution lodged a complaint with the police who swung into action and arrested the culprit around 3.30 am. Following the incident, a committee looked into the issue and subsequently, the warden was suspended. It is also looking into measures for strengthening safety and security of the students on the campus," said the statement from the institution.
The alleged incident took place on Thursday afternoon when the female student got into an elevator in the hostel building. The students alleged the worker unzipped his pant and started stimulating himself in front of the woman student and also prevented her from getting out of the elevator.
Police on Thursday identified the accused as Arjunan Subramanian, who is said to be engaged on contract to collect food waste from the mess.
A senior police officer said the accused has been booked under IPC sections 354 (outraging the modesty of women) and 294b (obscene act in public). Meanwhile, another student at the college, residing in the same hostel, told Express, "There are about eight functional lifts in the building, which are accessed by the workers and the students. The authorities could have allotted two lifts for the workers and six for the students. We had already raised complaints about the workers peeping through the windows of the hostel where the girls would be sleeping. Yet, no action was taken."