KOCHI: In a movement similar to #metoo, woman students of UC College, Aluva, have come out against a professor who, they allege, sexually harassed them on the campus. In a video on the Instagram page ‘_Papicha’ made by the students, both former and present, of the college, one of them said the professor is now head of the department.“I have passed out of college. You may wonder why I decided to come out with my accusations so late. It is to put a stop to his acts,” the student said in the video, which has had more than 16,000 views and over 373 comments.
She alleged, “The incident took place when I was coming out of the canteen. The professor was walking towards me and extended his hand in greeting. However, instead of shaking my hand, he grabbed my hip and walked away as if nothing happened.”She said she felt violated and could not come to terms with the incident. “I cried my heart out in the washroom before deciding to confront the professor,” she said.
“I caught him coming back from the canteen and confronted him. However, he said it was just some fantasy of mine and that he did so as he felt close to me. I told him that is not how a teacher behaves with his student. However, he just stood there and kept blaming me,” she said.
The student said after she came out with the accusation, several students have opened up about their experiences too. “I decided to make this video to tell the other girls that whatever happened was not their fault as the perpetrators try to make them believe. The girls need to come out against the person, who is a well-known professor and also the winner of cinema awards,” she said.
UC College principal David Saj Mathew said they have received complaints on the matter. “The college has initiated an inquiry,” he said.