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TN Governor denies links with suspended professor

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit who hurriedly convened an unusual press meet at Raj Bhavan to announce that he has…

TN Governor denies links with suspended professor

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit. (File Photo: IANS)

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit who hurriedly convened an unusual press meet at Raj Bhavan to announce that he has no link with the suspended assistant professor Nirmala Devi who has been arrested on the charge of luring her four girl students to extend sexual favours to senior officials of Madurai Kamaraj varsity to ensure their life is successful.

Governor in his more than an hour long press meet pointed out that he has not even seen the face of the lady. A video showing Nirmala Devi taking selfy with Governor and vice chancellor of the university at a function and Nirmala Devi’s contention that she even has influence in Raj Bhavan while talking to the girls are believed to have prompted the Governor to hold such a press meet to explain his innocence.

Meanwhile the Governor landed in more trouble when he pat on the face of Lakshmi Subramanian, the correspondent of Week magazine in Chennai, while she shot off a last question when he was about to wind off the press meet.

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Lakshmi tweeted the incident with a photograph of it expressing her displeasure over governor’s gesture. ” I asked TN Governor Banwarilal Purohit a question as his press conference was ending. He decided to patronisingly – and without consent – pat me on the cheek as a reply.” Lakshmi tweeted.

Though the tweet went viral there was no response from Rajbhavan till this news went to press.

Meanwhile during the press conference Mr. Purohit emotionally said that, “I have not even seen her face… I have grand children and great grandchildren… I am 70-80 years old…”

Though there was no response from the Governor on the question whether it is fair for him to stay away from the probe on the issue as Nirmala Devi had also mentioned the him during her phone conversation with the girl students, he has appointed a retired IAS officer to enquire the issue.

His decision to order an enquiry also courted controversy when almost all the opposition parties questioned his authority to order an enquiry in to criminal act though he is the chancellor of the university.

Tamilnadu chief minister Edapppadi K Palaniswamy has already ordered a CB-CID enquiry in to the case. To repeated questions on whether he can order a probe while he is named in the telephone conversation, he did not give a direct answer.

Nirmala Devi, who was working as an assistant professor in a private college in Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu was arrested on Monday after a recording of a telephone conversation she had with her four students went viral in social media.

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