Protests erupted at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy, late Thursday night following a disturbing incident involving a student and a contracted technician. The technician, G Kathiresan, was hired to install WiFi in the hostel when he allegedly harassed the student in her room, leading to immediate outrage from the student body.
Kathiresan, who was arrested on Thursday evening, stands accused of indecent exposure. The situation intensified after it was revealed that the hostel warden allegedly made insensitive comments about the student’s attire, blaming her for the incident instead of taking swift action against the accused.
According to a senior police officer familiar with the case, the student had promptly reported the harassment to the hostel warden. Instead of receiving support, she was reportedly met with derogatory remarks about her clothing. Frustrated by the warden’s response, the student took to social media to share her ordeal, which quickly garnered widespread attention and anger.
By Thursday evening, over 500 students had gathered on the NIT Trichy campus for a sit-in protest, demanding accountability from both the hostel authorities and the institute’s management. The protest continued overnight, with students expressing their dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of the situation. Tensions escalated when the warden reportedly threatened to impose stricter curfew timings in response to the protests.
In the early hours of Friday, Superintendent of Police V Varun Kumar stepped in to address the students’ concerns. He assured them that the institute’s management would be directed to address the security lapses in the women’s hostel and confirmed that Kathiresan had been arrested and jailed. The accused faces charges under sections 332(3) and 75(1) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, along with section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Woman Harassment Act.
NIT Trichy Director G Aghila also met with the protesting students and committed to implementing more stringent safety measures. The director assured students that no punitive action would be taken against them for participating in the protest. In a final gesture of reconciliation, the warden publicly apologized for the remarks that had sparked much of the students’ outrage.
The protest was called off after these assurances, but the incident has underscored ongoing concerns about safety and responsiveness within the institution.
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