The University of Madras has cancelled a controversial lecture titled “How to Spread Christianity in India” and “Why Need This Margam” following massive public backlash. The event, which was scheduled as part of the Sir S. Subramania Ayyar Endowment Lectures by the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, sparked outrage for its blatant religious proselytization under the banner of a secular, taxpayer-funded institution.
Many questioned how such overtly religious topics—unrelated to history or archaeology—were approved in the first place as the invitation explicitly promoted Christian evangelism.
Dr. Soundararajan, who was responsible for the event’s approval, has now come under intense scrutiny. Accusations suggest that he is a crypto-Christian using his position to promote religious agendas. However, what is even more alarming is his history of sexual harassment allegations, which have resurfaced in the wake of this controversy.
Soundararajan Accused Of Physically Assaulting And Molesting Female Students
Dr. J. Soundararajan, the Head of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology at Madras University, has been previously accused of multiple instances of sexual harassment and abuse of power against students. In March 2021, students of the department staged protests against him, alleging that he had physically assaulted and sexually molested a female student when they confronted him over their examination results.
The controversy began when eight students who had protested against a hostel fee hike were intentionally failed in their internal assessments. When the students confronted Soundararajan over their missing answer sheets and requested that their results be officially displayed, he allegedly responded with verbal abuse and physical assault. According to multiple testimonies, he shoved a male student against a wall and molested a female student by touching/pushing her inappropriately on her chest. When she resisted, he repeated the assault intentionally in front of other students.
“This is not the first case that the professor was using filthy language,” he alleged.
The affected students attempted to file a police complaint, but their grievances were dismissed by authorities and redirected between police stations. A formal complaint was eventually lodged with the University’s Committee on Sexual Harassment of Women. However, instead of receiving justice, the victim faced further humiliation. One of the committee members, Prof. Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, allegedly made a vulgar remark stating that “the student should not complain about such petty issues when she can sleep with ten male students in the hostel.”
Rather than taking action against the accused professor, the university administration suspended five students, including the victim, in what appeared to be an act of retaliation. The victim, deeply traumatized by the harassment and institutional apathy, attempted suicide on March 21, 2021 by slitting her wrist. In her note, she held Dr. Soundararajan solely responsible for her mental agony and suicide attempt.
Despite the formation of an Inquiry Committee, its findings remain undisclosed, and no concrete action has been taken against Dr. Soundararajan or Prof. Hussein.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.