KALAKSHETRA EX-FACULTY HELD OVER CLAIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

CHENNAI: Sheejith Krishna, a former professor of the Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai, has been arrested in connection with the allegations of sexual assault by two of his former students, police said on Tuesday.

The premier performing arts institution in Chennai has been in the spotlight since August last year after students went on protests, alleging sexual harassment by four teachers — assistant professor Hari Padman, and three instructors Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath.

Last December, two other students, who studied at Kalakshetra between 1995 and 2007, approached the police accusing 51-year-old Bharatnatyam teacher Krishna of sexually assaulting them multiple times.

One of the women moved the Madras high court in December 2023, following which justice G Jayachandran directed the police to look into the complaint while maintaining confidentiality. Krishna was arrested on April 22.

“In February we registered a case against the accused. The accused was produced before the concerned court and was remanded to judicial custody on the same day,” the officer said.

Seven students moved the Madras high court last April keeping their identity protected.

They sought a safe learning environment and a redressal mechanism to deal with complaints on campus.