Students at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Tiruchy staged a protest from Thursday night till Friday noon (August 29 to 30) after a female student was allegedly sexually harassed by a WiFi technician in her hostel room.
According to sources, the incident occurred in one of the Opal girls' hostels when the technician, who was contracted to fix a glitch, flashed the student and made lewd gestures.
A complaint was filed with the Thiruverumbur All Women Police Station by the victim and cases were booked under Sections 332(3) and 75(1)leading to the arrest of the technician identified as G Kathiresan(38) from Ramanathapuram, who was lodged in Tiruchy Central Prison.
However, students alleged that the college administration and hostel authorities mishandled the situation, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Following the intervention of institute authorities and superintendent of police, Tiruchy, the warden apologised to the students publicly.
"We have brought to the attention of the NIT management the security lapses in the women's hostel, including non-functional CCTVs. We have urged them to address the students' demands an increased presence of female workers in the hostel and that male workers be accompanied by female staff members when entering the premises," said, V Varun kumar, SP, Tiruchy.
The institution released a statement saying, "The NIT-T administration is distressed at the gross sexual misconduct of an outsourced worker in the Opal women's hostel. We have drawn out more stringent measures to ensure the safety of all students on campus, particularly girl students. Security Officer has been instructed to be more vigilant so as to prevent such eventualities."
But students argue that these measures are not enough, stated The New Indian Express report.
A female student who was part of the protest said, "Despite enforcing stringent regulations that border on moral policing, these measures, including curfews, dress codes, and headcounts, have not only been ineffective in preventing such incidents but have also led to victim-blaming."
She added, "There is no forum or students representatives to address the issues faced by women hostelers in the campus. Hostels should also have a sexual harassment cell. The lack of democratic forum like such has led to such incidents. We urge the institution to take a proactive stance in supporting victims, lodging police complaints, and creating a safe and supportive environment without enforcing unnecessary restrictions. Protection and care should be the priority, not restriction and blame."
