On Tuesday evening, a Sriram, a worker from Uttar Pradesh aged 29, was apprehended for sexually assaulting a woman who was pursuing research at IIT Madras in a teashop located within the campus vicinity. The culprit reportedly worked in the Taramani area and was a self-employed individual. The woman, who was studying sociology, had gone there along with a male friend. Taramani Velachery main road was the place where the incident occurred.

IIT Madras in a statement stated, “A woman research scholar of I IT Madras was allegedly harassed last evening January 14 2025 at around 5.30 PM at a tea stall outside the institute campus in Velachery-Taramani area. The male students who were with the woman scholar, and the bystanders there, restrained the accused and contacted the police. The police arrested the said person and informed the Institute. He is an employee in a bakery outside IIT Madras and has no link with the institution."

The statement further reassured, “IIT-Madras has set up CCTV surveillance around the campus as well as sufficent measures by employing security guards have been instituted to enhance the protection and saftey of the campus occupants. Measures have also been put to advice students on safety issues whenever they have to go out. The campus is providing all needed assistance to the woman student in all ways possible.”

IIT Madras student was involved in a similar incident with another I IT Madras student which took place on: December 23 2024 where an intruder had forcibly raped an Anna University student.