Students of SRM University in Tamil Nadu staged a protest on Thursday evening that continued till midnight after the administration allegedly failed to take action on a sexual harassment complaint raised by a student, reported PTI. The college is located in Kattankulathur on the outskirts of Chennai.

The university Vice Chancellor Sandeep Sancheti, however, denied the allegations of inaction and said the administration would look into the complaint. “Students are discussing with us,” Sancheti told PTI. “Whatever the matter is, it will be taken care of. If there is a matter, it will be inquired.”

Director of Student Affairs S Mythili told The New Indian Express that the management has terminated the services of the worker who has been accused of sexual harassment. “We have sent him out, but we can’t take further action until there’s more clarity over the issue,” she said.

According to a student who took part in the protest, a sanitation worker allegedly masturbated inside an elevator in a hostel building on the campus when a second year undergraduate student was also in the elevator. The man allegedly blocked the student’s way when she tried to get out of the elevator. He let the student go when she started screaming.

Another protestors said that the hostel warden, who the student had informed about the incident, allegedly blamed the student and delayed access to CCTV footage. The protestor said the student identified the worker from the CCTV footage. “However she was asked to stay mum about the incident by the authorities,” the protester said.

“One of the first things that the warden told us was to change our clothes,” a student told News 18. “She accused us of wearing short clothes implying that the girl deserved what she got.”

The Maraimalainagar Police confirmed that the protest continued till midnight and students finally dispersed after the university assured to take action. Police said no complaint had been filed till 11 pm on Thursday.