A Committee of Inquiry was formed by Kalakshetra Foundation on April 4, Tuesday, which is being led by a retired judge, to probe into the sexual harassment accusations made by students against an assistant professor of dance and three repertory artists, stated a report by PTI.

The retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice K Kannan, is heading the panel while former Tamil Nadu DGP Letika Saran and Dr Shobha Varthaman (a medical doctor who has worked with international NGOs) are also a part of it, the foundation says.

"Hari Padman, Assistant Professor, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry. The services of Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath, repertory artists, may be dispensed with immediate effect, pending inquiry," the Board of the prestigious institution stated in a press release.

Arrests were made
On April 3, the police had arrested Hari Padman, who was working as an Assistant Professor at Kalakshetra Foundation's Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts. The students of the college accused Hari Padman and the three repertory artists of sexual harassment and protested against the inactiveness of the administration regarding the issue, following which, these steps were taken.

A new student counsellor and an independent advisory committee would be made in charge immediately to strengthen the administration of the Kalakshetra Foundation, stated the press release. The decisions were made during the board meeting of the Foundation.

The board appealed to the students to attend the re-arranged examinations and said, "Kalakshetra Foundation is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of its students, and providing a secure and inclusive environment for all.”

K Veermani, President, Dravidar Kazhagam, criticised the institute on Tuesday for forming a panel of its own to inquire into the sexual harassment allegations. He also added that a committee set up by the foundation itself could lead to questions and suspicions. It also seemed to be a diversionary tactic and he asked if it was an attempt towards "whitewashing" the issue. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to pay special attention to the matter.