The Tiruchi City Police on Wednesday arrested the suspended associate professor and Head, Department of Tamil, at Bishop Heber College, C.J. Paul Chandramohan on charges of sexually harassing some women students of the college a few months ago.
The arrest of Paul Chandramohan comes a few days after he was placed under suspension by the college authorities in compliance with the recommendations of its Internal Complaints Committee, which had confirmed the veracity of the complaint, which a group of postgraduate women students had lodged with the principal in March this year. The Committee had submitted its report during April.
The alleged sexual harassment had happened during offline classes conducted in the college in February. The Associate Professor was alleged to have used double entendres during the classes.
Police sources said Paul Chandramohan was arrested based on a complaint preferred by the District Social Welfare Officer, Tiruchi A. Thameemunisa with the Srirangam All Women Police Station.
The Srirangam All Women Police registered a case against Paul Chandramohan under IPC sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D (stalking), 294 (b) (uttering obscene words in or near any public place), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act, said the sources.
Prior to lodging the complaint, the District Social Welfare Officer had conducted an inquiry into the allegations. Ms. Thameemunisa had visited the college recently and examined the complaint and related documents besides the action taken based on the report of the Internal Complaints Committee.
