Chennai, Apr 3 (IANS): The Chennai police have arrested an assistant professor of the Kalakshetra Foundation accused of sexually abusing his students.

The accused, Hari Padman, who was absconding after he returned back to Chennai from a study tour to Hyderabad, was arrested in the early hours of Monday.

Police sources told IANS that he was arrested from a house in the city's Madhavaram area.

Hari Padman has been charged under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 509 (use of words, gestures, or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC and Section 4 of the Women Harassment Act.

The case was registered after a former girl student of the accused lodged a complaint with an All Woman police station under the Greater Chennai Police.

She alleged that Hari Padman used to send her obscene messages and had physically abused her while she was studying at the institute. The victim further claimed and that she discontinued her studies following his physical abuse.

The students of the institute had sent a letter to the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Culture, that current and former students of the institute had faced verbal and physical abuse in the institution.

Repertory artists of the institute Sanjit Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath havealso charged under the case.

The students had formed a union with Jisma K.K as president and Shakthi Shivani as secretary and have also charged the director of the institute, Revathi Ramachandran and head of the dance department, Jyotsna Menon of having body shamed and hurled casteist remarks against them.