IIT Madras Researcher Alleges Sexual Assault, AIDWA Demands Strict Measures Against Accused

A researcher at IIT Madras here has accused her colleague of repeatedly sexually assaulting her and also harassing her at work with her accomplices, including two of her teachers, for almost four years after her arrived at the institution in 2016. Apart from the physical and mental trauma she suffered from the institution’s group of men and during a trip to Coorg, the researcher was also prevented from using the lab equipment to work on her thesis, she claimed.

The police also lodged a complaint about it, naming eight people in the FIR.

Alarmed by the unpleasant turn of events during her college lawsuit, she had remained silent at first, but later, overcoming her shock, she found the courage to file a complaint with the Internal Sexual Harassment Complaints Committee (CCASH). , who, in his provisional recommendation, sought to retain his three comrades. academics, including the main defendant – against whom she made her accusations – to enter the campus until she had completed her doctoral work and submitted her thesis. “Furthermore, guides must ensure that referees do not submit their thesis until the researcher (victim) has submitted it,” the committee said while postponing further investigation until after. she submits her thesis.

Opposing the leniency granted to men who allegedly sexually, physically and mentally harassed her, the Democratic Women’s Association of India (AIDWA), Tamil Nadu President S Valentina and General Secretary P Suganthi, who have supported the case of the young girl, demanded justice for the victim and severe measures against the perpetrators. Leaders said CCASH investigated and issued an interim order on October 10, 2020, based on the researcher’s July 17, 2020 complaint.

They said the victim was a member of the Scheduled Caste community.

”The whole process doesn’t seem to have been completed. The police filed an FIR, arranged his testimony before a magistrate and issued a summons to the accused by mail,’ Valentina and Suganthi said. They asked the CCASH not to stop at the investigation with the interim report but to proceed in a detailed manner and to complete it to do justice to the victim.

”The interim recommendation was given based on an online deposition. The victim informed that the main culprit took his photos forcefully (in a reprehensible manner) but that there was no investigation into the discovery of the photos despite several requests from the victim,” they said. they stated. Therefore, to complete the investigation, the committee must conduct the process in person as this is a serious criminal offense that can pose a threat to the victim for the rest of their life, the leaders added.

Amazingly, the main defendant is continuously present in the online meetings, carrying out his work without any hindrance and this puts the victim in real trauma, they alleged and expressed their concern that the defendant could submit the synopsis and subsequent thesis and walk away from the disciplinary action of IIT Madras.

Based on her complaint, CCASH found that her fellow researcher had verbally and physically assaulted her on two occasions – once in the lab and during Coorg’s trip, prevented her from using lab instruments and even reprimanded her for using chemicals. He made her feel uncomfortable in the lab in the presence of a co-guide who failed to warn him when the girl complained. Another professor joined the main defendant in making sure she didn’t get a time slot on the instruments, CCASH found during the Google Meet survey held nine times from July 29, 2020 to July 1. September 2020. He also found that his three colleagues and a teacher took the liberty of describing the girl in a vulgar way. Also, they “indulged in drug addiction,” he said.

A case was filed by the Mylapore All Women Police in June last year following the intervention of the National Commission for Women. Trials have been filed against eight people.

The culprits have not been arrested so far, Sugandhi told reporters here and requested that the investigation be transferred to the criminal branch CID for further investigation and appropriate action.

There was no immediate response from IIT Madras to the researcher’s allegation.

(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)