Hundreds of students at the SRM Institute of Science and Technology near Chennai began an agitation on Thursday night after a female student alleged that a university employee had sexually harassed her in an elevator, according to media reports.
The incident is said to have taken place around 3 pm in one of the girls' hostels, according to The New Indian Express.
As soon as the female student entered the lift, the university worker, who was also inside the elevator, began masturbating in front of her, News18 reported.
The worker also blocked her way when she tried to get off on the next floor, a protesting student told The New Indian Express. "He let her go only when she kept screaming," the student added.
The students are reportedly also protesting at the management's indifference. One of them told News18 that they had raised the issue with the hostel warden, who allegedly delayed their access to the CCTV footage of the elevator by over two hours.
"One of the first things that the warden told us was to change our clothes. She accused us of wearing short clothes, implying that the girl deserved what she got," a student told The News Minute.
The students also alleged that even the university registrar and director did not listen to their plea and chose to ignore questions.
However, SRM University Vice Chancellor Sandeep Sancheti has denied allegations of inaction. The university authorities, according to The New Indian Express, have claimed that the worker was sacked.
Meanwhile, local police officials said that no complaint had been filed till 11 pm on Thursday.
Another student alleged that there have been instances of male workers peeping into girl students' rooms in the past as well, according to NDTV.