A professor from a college in Kerala’s Kozhikode was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman student with disability. Khamarudeen, who is an Assistant Professor in the Malayalam department of Farook College, was arrested on Wednesday. Officials from Farook Police Station confirmed the arrest of the professor to TNM.
The alleged crime took place in December 2019 during a college tour, according to a report by Dool News. As per the report, the student was sexually assaulted during a bus journey. The incident came to light after the student revealed it to some of her hostel mates, who then took up the matter to college officials. In January, an official complaint was filed by the student in the college. The report adds that the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), also filed a complaint against the accused asking the college to take disciplinary action against him.
An internal inquiry committee appointed by the college investigated the alleged crime and the professor was reportedly suspended as part of the disciplinary action. The college also informed that he would be ousted if the police probe shows that he was involved in the crime.
In April, a school teacher in Kannur district was arrested for allegedly raping a Class 4 girl student in a school in Palathayi. Padmarajan K, who was also the president of BJP’s Thrippangottur local committee, got bail in weeks as the Crime Branch, which took over the case, removed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) sections from the chargesheet. There have been widespread protests on the issue.
Many in the state, including activists, social workers and prominent writes like K Satchidanandan, Sarah Joseph, Kalpetta Narayanan, Sheethal Syam, Dr P Geetha, etc, held a hunger strike in July, protesting against the Crime Branch’s move to remove the POCSO sections that were initially charged by the police officials in Kannur.
Watch protest against Crime Branch probe in Palathayi case: