Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit pats female journalist's cheek, triggers massive controversy

Already in the face of fire after allegations linking him to an audio tape in which a professor is allegedly asking students to offer sexual favours. another controversy has hit Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit after he tapped the cheek of a senior female journalist when she tried to ask a question.

The incident happened on Tuesday evening when the Tamil Nadu Governor was wrapping up a press conference on allegations on him that a college professor tried to convince women students to take academic and financial assistance from University officials, in exchange for sexual favours.

At the fag end of the press briefing, journalist Lakshmi Subramanian asked him a question, however, he didn’t reply to her question, instead patted on her cheek “patronisingly and without her consent.”

The journalist took to Twitter to vent her ire over the incident as she wrote,

“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.”

“This, moments after he dismissed a barrage of questions about allegations of sexual misconduct against himself. Unprofessional behaviour – and completely uncalled for to touch a stranger without her consent, especially a woman,” she wrote on another tweet.

She said that she is agitated and angered over the incident and has washed her face several times,

"Washed my face several times. Still not able to get rid of it. So agitated and angered Mr Governor Banwarilal Purohit. It might be an act of appreciation by you and grandfatherly attitude. But to me you are wrong," she wrote.

DMK MP Kanimozhi came out in the support of the senior journalist and wrote, "Even if the intention is above suspicion, a person who holds a public office has to understand that there is a decorum to it and violating a woman journalist’s personal space does not reflect the dignity or the respect which should be shown to any human being."

The DMK will also stage a protest against the Governor.

Earlier on Tuesday, in the same press conference, the Tamil Nadu Governor had categorically denied having any association with a college professor arrested for asking her students to extend sexual favours to university officials in exchange of financial and academic rewards. 

In the audio clip of professor's conversation with her students, she also mentioned she was close to Purohit.

Countering her claim, Purohit told media, "I've not even seen her face till date, she hasn't met me."