Chennai Dental College HoD Oral Pathology suspended over sexual harassment allegations

Chennai: More than a year after multiple serious complaints of sexual harassment were filed against the Head of the Oral Pathology Department at Government Dental College, Chennai, the Tamil Nadu Health Department recently suspended him with immediate effect.

The complaints made by staff members and postgraduate female students included repeated incidents of verbal abuse, casteist and sexually inappropriate comments, body shaming, and emotional harassment.

Several female students and a senior faculty member alleged that he recorded them without consent and made degrading remarks about their appearance. Some victims also accused him of making disturbing comments related to self-harm and suicide.

A government order issued in this regard on Friday by Health Secretary P. Senthilkumar stated, "It is necessary to place the professor under suspension from service under sub-rule (e)(1)(i) of Rule 17 of the Tamil Nadu Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, with immediate effect and until further orders, pending the framing of charges."

The order also added that disciplinary action is being considered against the doctor based on several serious complaints. Further, he has also been directed not to leave Chennai headquarters without prior permission from the concerned authority.

Also read- KEM Hospital Professor denied anticipatory bail in sexual harassment case

The incident came to light after disturbing experiences were shared by staff members and students regarding the senior professor's behaviour.

The complainant's including a senior assistant professor and former postgraduate students, accused him of verbal abuse, making sexually inappropriate and casteist comments, and body shaming. Some even claimed that he would record videos and audio of female students without their permission. In one instance, he even allegedly asked a student to spit on him, as per the New Indian Express report.

However, the main complainant, a senior assistant professor in the department, committed suicide in January 2025. The reason is unknown, but staff members said that despite her complaint and others as well, the professor's inappropriate behaviour reportedly continued until his recent suspension.

“Our HoD always speaks in a demeaning way and abuses us verbally using profanity. Apart from casually tossing off offensive remarks, the HoD would also record audio and videos of female students without their consent," stated the senior assistant professor’s complaint made with the college management on March 23, 2024.

She recalled feeling extremely uncomfortable when the HoD recorded her during a visit to his cabin. She also alleged that he frequently shouted at students and humiliated them in front of others.

Following her complaint, some former PG students also filed sexual harassment complaints against the HoD. One of them alleged that she had been subjected to verbal and emotional abuse as well as extreme body shaming.

A former PG student told the Daily, “He told me my lower body is larger than my torso and that my legs are crooked due to my excess weight. He has also made comments about my skin tone, colour and the scars on my legs."

"You look like this now, I wonder what will become of you when you become pregnant. He would come close to me, put his face too close to mine and ask me to spit on him," said the former student in her complaint.

It has been reported that the students were often humiliated in front of others, and many of them silently endured the torment. They were in fear that the HoD would fail them in their internal exams.

Another former PG student, in her complaint, said the HoD always wanted to know whether she would try to kill herself. On one occasion, he allegedly described in detail how he would die by suicide if he were in her place.

“Maybe he was scared that I would attempt suicide because of his behaviour towards me. Many times he has asked me, ‘You won’t die by suicide, no?’" she recalled him saying.

A faculty member, on condition of anonymity, said, “I don’t know why the management took so long to finish the inquiry. He is still behaving in the same manner with the students, and their ordeal continues.”

After receiving the complaints, S. Premkumar, Principal of the Government Dental College, told TNIE that he had ordered an internal inquiry by an ICC member and another faculty member. The two-member team submitted its report to the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) on July 31, 2024.

However, on September 13, 2024, the DME returned the report, requesting that the HoD also be questioned. By that time, one of the inquiry members had gone on medical leave, the principal said. The final report was eventually submitted to the DME in March 2025.

Based on the report and findings, the state health department held the doctor responsible and suspended him with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, TNIE sources said the State Women’s Rights Commission conducted a two-hour inquiry on Friday with the college principal regarding the functioning of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and related matters.

Also read- Woman doctor accuses medical officer at Ayurvedic Hospital of sexual harassment