Tamil Nadu’s State Commission for Women has asked Revathi Ramachandran, Director, Kalakshetra Foundation, and Deputy Director Padmavathy to come to the commission office on April 3. A senior faculty member accused of sexually harassing students, Hari Padman was booked for sexual harassment by the police on Friday following massive protest by students. AS Kumari, Chair of the State Commission for Women, said that the officials have been asked to come to the office as they were not available during her visit to the campus, where she inquired about the sexual harassment allegations levelled against Hari Padman and three repertory artists Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan, and Sreenath.
“I wanted to know details regarding the complaints given by the students to the institute’s Internal Committee (IC) and its findings. But I was not able to check them as IC’s chair and director of the foundation Revathi was not available there during my visit,” Kumari said. She, therefore, asked both the Director and Deputy Director to visit her in the Commission's office to respond to her inquiries.
The Commission will be submitting its report to Chief Minister MK Stalin, for further action on the sexual harassment allegations, along with their responses. “We are yet to summon anyone from the institute. In the preliminary stage, we asked both of them to come. If they fail to present themselves in the office, I would summon them to appear for the inquiry,” AS Kumari told TNM.
The students had alleged that Revathi tried to protect the perpetrators. As soon as the sexual harassment allegations emerged on social media platforms, Revathi assembled the staff, IC members, and students of Kalakshetra in the main auditorium, and asked them to speak up. Hari Padman was also present at this meeting. When TNM reached out to the faculty members they had said that no student came forward then, as there was no privacy. Several students and staff saw this as an exercise in intimidation, the staffers said.
AS Kumari during her visit to the campus received nearly 90 written complaints. She spoke to the alumni of the institute and also the students who are out station for the performance. After her visit, the All Women Police Station at Adyar filed a First Information Report against Hari Padman and booked him 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 on March 31.