T’gana lab technicians suspended over sexual harassment charges
Four paramedical staff at Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada, were suspended over sexual harassment charges from 55 female students; police investigation ongoing.
Four employees working in the paramedical wing of the Rangaraya Medical College (RMC) in Kakinada district in Andhra Pradesh were on Friday suspended by college management over charges of sexual harassment filed against them by 55 female undergraduates in the medical laboratory technology branch,a statement from the chief minister’s office said.
The suspended employees are: lab attendant V Kalyan Chakravarthy, lab technician S Gopala Krishna of the biochemistry department, lab technician B Jimmy Raju of the microbiology department and lab technician KVVS Prasada Rao of the pathology department.
RMC principal and additional director of medical education A Vishnu Vardhan confirmed their suspension, saying the action was taken against them based on the findings of the internal inquiry committee which probed the complaints against them on July 9. Following the committee report, the college management also lodged a complaint with the Kakinada police immediately, added Vardhan.
Kakinada superintendent of police G Bindu Madhav told reporters that three of the employees had been taken into custody for questioning, while Kalyan Chakravarthi was absconding. “Investigation is going on,” he said.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who came to know about the incident on Friday, spoke to the college authorities and directed them to take strict action against the accused, said the CMO statement. Following his instructions, officials from the medical and health department submitted a report to the chief minister, it added.
According to the preliminary report submitted to the chief minister, some female students lodged a complaint with the college principal on July 9 against Kalyan Chakravarthy stating that he was sexually harassing them. Taking the matter seriously, the authorities immediately constituted an inquiry committee on the same day to probe the allegations.
The committee conducted its investigation and spoke with the students until Thursday night, and submitted its report. The inquiry revealed that, along with Chakravarthy, three others were also involved in harassing the female students.
“Based on the committee’s findings, the chief minister ordered strict action against the accused staff members involved in the harassment,” the CMO statement said.
Vishnu Vardhan told reporters that as many as 55 students in the BSc program of the medical laboratory technology branch deposed before the inquiry committee that they had been sexually harassed by the four accused for the last few days. “The students revealed that the accused indulged in disgusting acts such as inappropriate touching and subjecting them to traumatic experiences,” he said.
