Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Professor held on sexual harassment charge

Staff Reporter

Coimbatore: The R.S. Puram police on Thursday arrested a professor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on charges of sexual harassment of a 23-year-old girl student after she attempted to commit suicide.

According to the police, the student from Cuddalore doing first year M.Sc Agricultural Extension and Rural Sociology is staying in the university hostel.

She consumed some "poisonous substance" and fell unconscious on Wednesday afternoon. She was shifted to a private hospital in Vadavalli. Her condition is said to be stable. Investigations revealed that the girl felt tortured because of the "sexual advances" made by Dr. Philip of the same department, who is her research guide.

The girl is said to have alleged that the professor had been indulging in double entendres virtually amounting to sexual harassment promising her to award higher marks in the internal/practical examinations. Following her complaint, the R.S. Puram police registered a case against him under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Harassment of Women Act and Sec 509 of Indian Penal Code and arrested him. He was remanded to judicial custody. However, sources close to the professor said that the girl was admonished for not being regular to the classes and sincere in studies.

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