CHENNAI – An Indian professor at a Tamil Nadu college has been accused oftacitly asking undergraduate students to provide sexual favours touniversity officials in return for financial and academic rewards.

The Devanga Arts College asked the police to investigate the matter afteran audio clip, allegedly of her conversation with four undergraduatestudents, was widely circulated in the social media yesterday, NDTV hasreported.

Nirmala Devi has been teaching maths at the prestigious college inVirudhnagar for a decade. The professor, who claims to be close to stategovernor Banwarilal Purohit, got caught when she dialled four students. Inthe recording she promises money and support to even research scholars inreturn for sexual favours.

In the recorded conversation, she is heard promising students “good supportfinancially and academically”. The students were advised not to informanyone, but the caller said, “It is up to you if you’d do this with theknowledge of your parents or otherwise. If you tell, we can planaccordingly… we can open an account and deposit the money that comes in”.

The lecturer was suspended by the college last month after the studentscomplained about her with their recording. She has, however, denied askingfor sexual favours. After a complaint was lodged by the college and a localwomen’s association today, the police registered a case of exploitation andinvoked the IT Act. The Governor, who is also the university Chancellor,ordered an investigation by a retired bureaucrat.

The state’s Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters in Chennai thatsuch “black sheep” cannot be allowed and assured that the government willtake action against her.

DMK chief MK Stalin sought a CBI probe into the matter. “Since a teacherwho has to impart education has tried to spoil the life of the students,the probe into the matter should be handed over to the CBI under thesupervision of the high court,” he said in a tweet.

“Bad apples are everywhere and in teaching too, they have crept in… Thereshould be a thorough probe whether this is just the tip of the ice berg. Ifthis happening at a rural area near Madurai, there could be many operatinglike her in the university’s jurisdiction” said Professor Mohammed A Kalam,Professor of Applied Social Sciences, LIBA, Chennai.