A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Hari Padman, one of the four people who have been accused of sexual harassment at Kalakshetra Foundation's Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts in Chennai. He has been booked by the Tamil Nadu police on Friday, March 31, under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 4 (penalty for harassment of woman) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act. This action comes on the second day of continuous protests by the students of Kalakshetra against the sexual harassment accused, and against the institution for their inaction. Hari Padman is likely to be called in for questioning soon.
The FIR has been registered at the Adyar All Women Police Station. Hari Padman has been accused of sexually harassing several students over the years. Two of the survivors spoke to TNM last week detailing their allegations against him.
Kalakshetra is a Union government-funded institution and has been declared an institute of national importance. Several students have accused the institution of propagating a toxic culture, and many allegations of sexual harassment were levelled against four faculty members: Hari Padman, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath.
Meanwhile, calling off the protest for now, the students thanked the media and TN Women's Commission chairperson AS Kumari. "We would like to thank the law and order and other official bodies who have been a support to all of us," the students said in a video.
#kalakshetra students withdraw their and thank Tamilnadu Women commission chairperson. Students were staging protest since yesterday accusing sexual harassment from 4 faculties. @News18TamilNadu @karthickselvaa @mahajournalist pic.twitter.com/r84HFfMa4j
— Mugilan Chandrakumar (@Mugilan__C) March 31, 2023
On the morning of Friday, March 31, the chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission visited Kalakshetra days after the National Commission for Women ordered a probe into the allegations. The students boycotted exams on March 30 and stayed back in campus, where they organised a night-long protest seeking action against the alleged accused. As the students’ protests intensify, Chief Minister MK Stalin addressed the allegations in the Assembly on Friday and promised legal action if they were found to be true.