A man allegedly flashed a woman student inside a hostel room at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirapalli on Thursday night. The incident sparked massive outrage among students, who staged late-night protests at the campus.
An outsourced technician, who was hired to fix issues in the Wi-Fi, was arrested following a complaint from the student.
The accused allegedly flashed and misbehaved with the student when she was alone is her room, officials said. According to The News Minute, the man also masturbated in front of the girl, who promptly took a picture of the man and ran away from the room.
"There was semen in the floor of the room, which the girl had taken a picture of as well. The survivor complained to the hostel warden and informed her close friends. However, the warden allegedly told the survivor to 'not blow it up' and not approach the media," a student from the hostel told TNM.
Reportedly, the warden also told the victim that was dressed in a certain way and that she should have been careful.
Students of the NIT hostel said that electrical works had been going on in the girls' hostel since early August as there was an issue with the WiFi, adding that around 15-20 electricians -- working in groups -- used to come there during day time.
And since there is just one steward, she could accompany only one group of electricians at one time, the students were cited to be saying.
Later, the warden apologised before the protesting students for her insensitive comments, but was replaced following the protesters' demands.
Another student said that since the WiFi issue had not yet been resolved, the electricians would continue their work, adding that they don't feel safe in their hostel as their warden did not initiate any appropriate action.
Trichy collector Pradeep Kumar said that an incident of security lapse has occurred, adding that the institute is taking internal action in this regard.
Trichy Superintendent of Police (SP) Varun Kumar issued a personal helpline number for students, assuring their safety.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami alleged that, "There are also reports that the student who went to report the matter was verbally abused at the police station."
"Does this DMK government think that the Nirbhaya Act, which punishes crimes against women, will be taken in hand only if a Nirbhaya incident happens in Tamil Nadu? I strongly condemn the Vidya DMK government for not taking action to prevent crimes against women and trying to malign women who complain about it," Palaniswami said in his X post.
Notably, a female NIT Trichy student was raped by a local rowdy in 2019. She had gone to watch a movie at night and was not allowed to enter the hostel since she arrived past curfew time.
This forced her and her male friend to take shelter in a bus stop, where that rowdy found them. He beat up the man and raped the female student. The accused rowdy was later sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Mahila court.
