Unauthorised pvt paramedical institute sealed in Villupuram

tnn | Nov 12, 2017, 01:17 IST

Villupuram: The district administration on Saturday sealed a private paramedical institute, which was apparently functioning without valid approval and affiliation, and arrested its principal on charges of harassing, assaulting and cheating girl students following a complaint from a section of students on Friday.

The arrested was identified as K Sathya, 29, principal of Sathya institute of paramedical sciences at Sankarapuram in the district. Her husband P Kalaimani, 38, who is the correspondent of the institute, absconded after learning that police have registered a case against him.

Police said a section of students from the institute submitted a petition to the district collector on Friday charging that the institute, which promised free nursing education, has forced them to work as home nurses to take care of ailing people in Chennai. They alleged that they were physically tortured and forced to do domestic and menial work, including cleaning toilets, at the patients' houses. They also charged that the institute, which collected fee for their services from the clients, failed to pay them.

They alleged that the institute correspondent and principal threatened them with dire consequences when they refused to work as domestic maids on the pretext of home nurses and insisted on placement in nursing homes and hospitals. They said the institute management threatened to withhold their school certificates and refused to provide diploma in nursing certificates if they failed to comply with the orders of the institute.

Sankarapuram police have registered a case against Kalaimani and Sathya under Sections 294 (obscene acts and songs), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 352 (punishment for assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 384 (punishment for extortion), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 506 (2) (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 (penalty for harassment of women) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998, following a direction from the district administration.

The institute, which has been functioning for the past eight years, offers several courses, including a two-year diploma in nursing. The institute, without any proper infrastructure, has been luring poor students on the pretext of extending free nursing education and forcing them to work as home nurses as part of internship.

It may be recalled that three girl students of a private medical college of yoga and naturopathy were found dead under mysterious circumstances in a well near the college at Chinna Salem in the district in January last year.

T Monisha from Chennai, E Saranya from Kancheepuram district and V Priyanka from Tiruvarur district were found dead in a well near the college under mysterious circumstances on January 23. Police claimed that the students committed suicide to register their protest against the management for collecting exorbitant fees. However, the parents of the girls charged that the girls were murdered and held the college management responsible for the murder.