On Thursday (29th August), protests broke out at NIT Trichy after a female student faced sexual harassment and subsequent slut shaming at the prestigious engineering college.
As per reports, a contracted technician by the name of G Kathiresan was hired to install WiFi at the hostel. However, he allegedly exposed his private part and began masturbating in front of the female student.
At that time, the victim was alone. She left the room in disgust, only to discover semen on the floor and the accused missing. The student’s ordeal, initially shared on WhatsApp, came to light after it was shared on Reddit.
What is happening in NIT Trichy.. 😥🚶 pic.twitter.com/6BFtIkdBK8
— Jayanth (@wanderjay06) August 30, 2024
“I was sitting in my room, just looking at my book, when a guy came in to do some Wi-Fi work. Out of nowhere, he started masturbating and he flashed his private parts right in front of me and made sure I noticed that, rubbing himself to get my attention, and gave me this disgusting smirk,” the victim narrated.
“He wanted me to see it, to force me to look at it. I felt so grossed out and scared, I had to leave the room. When I came back, he was gone, but there was semen all over the floor…I even had a picture of it which I submitted at the police station,” she added.
The student recounted the inappropriate behaviour of the hostel steward and warden, who allegedly slut-shamed her and treated the accused with respect.
An incident from NIT Trichy told by a student.
— Aman Mishra (@mishraaman01) August 29, 2024
"Hello everyone,
I would like to brief about today's incident since most of you don't know the exact scene.
I’m really upset and heartbroken as I share what happened to me today and I took help from my brother to pen down my… pic.twitter.com/IAH76mEh3W
“I along with my friends went to the steward to report it, and she gave me a creepy smile while saying, ‘I’ve just come, and you’re bothering me with this.’ Later the warden came I hoped they would help. Instead, they all turned against me,” the victim stated.
She further informed, “They treated this guy with respect calling him “sir”. In the police station they used phrases like “she wasn’t even wearing pants” (context I was wearing a full skirt) and tried to put all the blame on me…They were all just trying to brush it under the carpet.”
“They did almost everything they could to trigger us, full victim blaming. The entire day I had spent crying cause of people like them. They even threatened my friends that they won’t consider any of their electrical/plumbing,etc complaints. And they did all this in the police station,” the victim concluded.
“Trichy NIT Students Rise Against Injustice: No More Victim-Blaming!”
— The Herd (@TheHerd_z) August 30, 2024
In a deeply troubling incident at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy, students are rising in protest against an administration that has failed to protect and support its own. The spark for this… pic.twitter.com/wXirKGPgP1
Besides slut shaming and victim blaming, the warden allegedly told the victim and her friends that they should learn ‘martial arts’ instead of music and dance to ward off potential sexual predators.
According to the female student, the warden put her hands up when confronted by her parents about ensuring the safety of those in the hostel.
On Thursday (29th August) evening, the police arrested the accused G Kathiresan. He was booked under Sections 332(3) and 75(1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Woman Harassment Act.
Students of NIT #Trichy protested against the institute management after a female hostel student was subjected to sexual harassment by a temporary worker at hostel. Students claim that insensitive remarks were passed at the victim. The incident questions safety inside campus. pic.twitter.com/99BxrhZclT
— Deepak Karthik (@dkarthikTOI) August 30, 2024
Concerned over the lack of security and the insensitive behaviour of the hostel warden, other students came out in support of the victim and launched a sit-in protest at the NIT Trichy campus.
As per reports, the protests continued late into the night. On Friday (30th August) morning, SP V Varun Kumar assured the students that the management of NIT Trichy has been directed to address all security lapses.
The institute’s director G Aghila conceded, “The administration of NITT has gone into the details of the unfortunate incident and have drawn out more stringent measures to ensure the safety of all students on campus, particularly, the safety of girl students.The security officer
has been instructed to be more vigilant so as to prevent such eventualities.”
