Chennai police on Saturday (March 11) arrested George Abraham, Principal of YMCA College of Physical Education, Nandanam (Chennai), for allegedly harassing a first-year student (under 18 years) in the college. It is the second complaint from a girl student. The earlier complaint from the girl inviting her to share bed with him is pending.
George Abraham (50) from Kerala is working as the Principal of the famous Nandanam YMCA College in Chennai. He has won many gold, silver, and bronze medals in Tamilnadu level competitions, Indian level competitions, and Asian level competitions in sports competitions. Also, he has won many district-level prizes in the field of bodybuilding.
In the case on hand, according to police sources, George Abraham had allegedly touched the minor girl inappropriately during a gym session, and when she confronted, he had also threatened her. They said “she is a first-year UG student. During the gym session, the accused inappropriately touched the teenage girl.
When the objected his advances, she was threatened not to tell this incident to anyone. The girl brought his bad touch behaviour to the management” .
The YMCA College Management Committee lodged a complaint with the Saidapet All Women Police Station on March 11. The college said that the Principal of the college, George Abraham, had been sexually harassing the students who had come for training last year and especially a bachelor student who had not completed 18 years of age, made her come alone to the gym in the evening for special training and told her to do crunch exercises and leg exercise.
Police said that George Abraham was booked under the Pocso Act, by the Saidapet AWPS three months ago after he allegedly sent obscene messages in phone to a 22-year-old post graduate student in the college. He was also booked under the Woman Harassment Act and IT act. In that case, he had evaded arrest and surrendered before a magistrate. He availed bail and returned to work after which students in the college staged a sit-in protest seeking action against him.
In December 2022 George Abraham, had been placed on leave after he was booked for sexual assault. A female student filed an FIR and provided call recordings of the Principal as evidence. “However, he returned two weeks ago and has been threatening the women students He has been saying that no action will be taken against him,” charged one of the joint secretaries of the student council.
An audio clip of a conversation, purported to be have taken place between George Abraham and post graduate female student, had gone viral in social media in the last week of January.
Though the telephonic conversations happened in December 2022, and the student has made a police complaint against the principal days after the incident, and FIR was registered against Abraham after the police confirming the prime facie evidence by scrutinising the student’s mobile phone, no stern action was taken against him and within days of filing FIR principal joined his duty in the same college and allegedly have threatened the student and her accomplice for giving police complaint.
On January 25, 2023 about 250 students of the college staged a sit in protest in YMCA campus against George Abraham alleging that he is continuously misbehaving with many female students and is evading from the legal actions through his lobby and influence. It was claimed by some of the protesting students that, the girl who had complained against the Principal had left the college.
Female students, who were part of the protest, said that there have been sexual harassment complaints against the Principal. “Many don’t file a formal complaint fearing a reaction from their family. Several of us have seen him talking in a sexually explicit manner to a senior student on the sports grounds,” said a first-year student.
According to confidential sources ” It is to be mentioned here that the FIR against Abraham was registered in the first week of December, 2022 during which the portfolio of Udayanidhi Stalin was almost finalised as Minister of Sports (he assumed office on December 14, 2022). YMCA is aided college under TN government which is affiliated to Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University which is a State run University.
Anbil Mahesh, Minister of School education DMKMP Kanimozhi, Dayanidhi Maran who said that TN government may take over school administration of PSBB at the time of sexual allegation against a teacher in the school flared up, is totally silent in case of the sexual allegation against a Principal of a college which Government of Tamil Nadu is aiding. The court later acquitted PSBB teacher of all charges.
Now a second complaint has been made against him. Only a few carried this news in their publications.
Though there is a clear evidence against Abraham seeking physical favours from a female student, and audio of conversation went viral in social media none of the groups/activists/political leaders neither condemned nor sought action against the Principal, as he joined the college back and the student who had filed complaint had to leave the college.
But neither the media nor the politicians who had rallied against PSBB bothered to issue a statement repenting for their earlier incorrect speeches. In the present case, they are yet to open their mouth to condemn George Abraham for calling female students to bed to satiate his sexual urges.
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