Harassed over 3 years: Anna University professor facing sexual misconduct charge nabbed from hideout in Tirunelveli

CHENNAI: A senior Anna University professor, against whom a girl student had lodged a complaint on Thursday, was arrested from a hideout in Tirunelveli on Friday evening. Police said Prof Gnanavel Babu will be brought to Chennai by road by Saturday morning, and that after inquiry he will be remanded in judicial custody.The professor, who has since been suspended by Anna University, went underground moments after the complaint surfaced on Thursday.The Abiramapuram all-women police, who registered the case, said Gnanavel Babu, subjected the student to continuous sexual harassment both in person and by sending obscene text messages over mobile phone for the past three years. The aggrieved student lodged a complaint on Thursday night at the office of the commissioner of police office in Vepery, seeking action against Gnanavel Babu.Acting on the complaint, senior police officials forwarded the student’s grievance to the deputy commissioner of Mylapore and ordered a thorough investigation.Meanwhile, the university administration took disciplinary action by against the professor and suspended him from service. The case has been registered under specific sections, and police are investigating. Police sources said Gnanavel Babu went into hiding following his suspension from service.(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)