KAKINADA: A major controversy has erupted at Rangaraya Medical College in Kakinada following allegations of sexual harassment by some staff members towards female students. District Collector Dr. Shaan Mohan and SP Bindu Madhav on Thursday confirmed that four individuals have been suspended from duty and criminal cases have been filed against them.

The issue came to light when the college principal, Dr. Vishnuvardhan, received an email complaint from a female student. Following this, around 50 students lodged complaints against four staff members, alleging repeated instances of sexual harassment.

Collector Shaan Mohan said that most complaints were against Kalyan Chakravarthy, a lab assistant in the Biochemistry department. An internal inquiry revealed inappropriate WhatsApp messages and vulgar comments. Students also named three others Jammi Raju, Gopalakrishna, and Prasad in their complaints.

District SP Bindu Madhav confirmed that police received three formal complaints, two at One Town Police Station and one at Three Town, and all four accused have been taken into custody.

The incident has drawn statewide attention, prompting Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to seek a detailed report from the health department. Expressing anger over the incident, the CM directed officials to take stringent action against the accused.

The students involved were from the B.Sc. and Diploma in Medical Lab Technology (DMLT) courses. Reports suggest the victims were disturbed by the inappropriate behaviour of certain lab staff and other employees. The college has initiated an in-depth internal inquiry through its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).

College principal Dr. Vishnuvardhan said that complaints came from students in departments such as Microbiology, Pathology, and Biochemistry. He added that all aspects of the incident are being thoroughly investigated.

Meanwhile, BJP Andhra Pradesh president P.V.N. Madhav demanded a deeper investigation and strong legal action against those involved.