THE ARREST of two assistant professors for sexually assaulting a student at National Sanskrit University, Tirupati, has become a political flash point in Andhra Pradesh with the Opposition YSRCP accusing the Telugu Desam Party government of suppressing the issue.
YSRCP MP from Tirupati Maddila Gurumoorthy issued a notice to move an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha over the case. The notice, however, was rejected.
Gurumoorthy also wrote to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, National Commission for Women, National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Human Rights Commission regarding the case.
He said the “student had submitted a written complaint to the university authorities two weeks ago and it was hushed up”.
TDP leader and state Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, meanwhile, has said the government has already instituted a probe in the case. “No one will be spared. The Superintendent of Police is directly handling the probe,” Anitha said.
The Tirupati Police arrested the two assistant professors — Lakshman Kumar, who allegedly lured the student and sexually assaulted her in his office, and A Shekhar Reddy, who allegedly shot photos and videos to blackmail her — on Tuesday. They were also suspended from the university, pending inquiry.
The two men have been charged with Section 75 (1) (sexual harassment), 77 (voyeurism and capturing the images of a woman without her consent) and 79 (acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) read with 3(5) (common intension) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
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The student had approached the university management on November 24 to lodge a complaint. The university constituted a four-member internal committee which investigated the incident and reported the case to the police in December.
