Dean of Kerala Drama College Arrested for Allegedly Raping 1st Year Student

The University of Calicut has suspended the accused, Sunilkumar, until further inquiry.

The dean of the School of Drama and Fine Arts in Kerala's Thrissur, accused of raping a first-year student of the institute, was arrested by the police on Tuesday, 1 March. Image used for representative purposes. 

(Photo: Lijumol Joseph/The Quint)

The dean of the School of Drama and Fine Arts in Kerala's Thrissur, accused of raping a first-year student of the institute, was arrested by the police on Tuesday, 1 March.

The complainant told The News Minute that the incident of sexual assault took place on 21 January, when she, being unable to travel to her hometown due to the prevailing pandemic situation, was residing with dean S Sunilkumar and his wife at their home.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Theatre Arts course from the college have been protesting on the campus since February 24, after the allegations of the sexual attack were first made.

The Thrissur West police has filed an FIR against Sunilkumar under sections 376(2)(f) (being a relative, guardian or teacher of, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman), 376(2)(n) (commits rape repeatedly on the same woman), 376-C (sexual intercourse by a person in authority) of the Indian Penal Code.

The University of Calicut has suspended him until further inquiry, as per The Hindu.

Sunilkumar Used To Call Me When Drunk, Threatened Me Not To Tell Anyone: Student

The student said that she was scared and had initially refrained from confiding in anyone. The girl also alleged that Sunilkumar and his partner, who was aware of the assault, had threatened her against disclosing the criminal incident to others.

She shared that seeing the dean in college had further augmented her distress, and that she had attempted suicide, after which she was admitted to the hospital. “Sunilkumar came to the hospital and things got worse. When I tried to talk about the incidents with my friends, he started telling them that I was ‘not mentally stable’ and that is the reason I am talking like this,” she told TNM.

She said that the teacher had also previously called her on the phone in a state of inebriation, and had made lewd remarks.

The student has also filed another complaint against a guest faculty for physically assaulting her during the class. The guest lecturer, Raja Variar, has been booked for sexual assault.

(With inputs from The News Minute and The Hindu)