A dance professor at Kalakshetra Foundation’s Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts has been arrested on charges of sexual harassment, according to local police.
Hari Padman, the faculty member in question, was arrested on Monday after the police had earlier booked cases against him under Indian Penal Code Sections 354A (sexual harassment) and 509 (use of acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman), as well as Section 4 of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, based on a complaint.
Padman is among four faculty members accused of sexual harassment at the prestigious institution. Earlier on April 2, a team of Tamil Nadu police had gone to Kerala to record statements from witnesses in the sexual harassment case against him.
Institutions like Kalakshetra Foundation are being held accountable for creating safe and harassment-free environments for their students and faculty.
The Kalakshetra Foundation is a well-respected institution in the Indian classical dance world, founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale in 1936. The institution is dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional Indian dance forms and is located in the Thiruvanmiyur area of Chennai.
