Coimbatore: An assistant professor of Devanga Arts College Virudhunagar has left a black mark on the teacher community seen as the temple of knowledge and wisdom and source for advice for parents and children.

Four final year BSc students would never in their wildest of dreams have thought their teacher Nirmala Devi would try forcing them to do a dirty deed. The girls were asked by their teacher to do a `physical’ favour for senior officials of Madurai Kamaraj University to climb the career ladder.

A few teachers The Covai Post spoke to expressed shock at the whole incident.

Dhananjay Kumar of St Xavier’s School termed the teacher a `demon’ and said: “How can she even think of doing this to her own students who must have held her in the highest respect? Stern punishment must be given and she should never be allowed to teach again.”

Fredrick Johnson of St. John’s, Chennai, said: “Such teachers should be dismissed. It’s not good because as a professor or teacher, it is their job to open the eyes of the kids and not indulge them in any activities like this. She should be punished. I hope she is not allowed to join anywhere because you never know she may try the same thing over there.”

J. Sundar a Professor from Theni College of Arts and Science said, “As teachers we have professional ethics to follow. It also brings a bad repute to the noble profession of teaching. She should definitely be punished, for her activity almost spoiled the future of those poor girls.”

The students pleaded with the disgraced professor to stop talking about it and yet these prayers fell on deaf ears with the teacher saying, “Don’t act in a haste.” The audio clip released has gone viral and the professor has already been suspended, following a complaint by the distraught girls.

A press statement issued by the Governor Banwarilal Purohit’s office, also the Vice Chancellor of the Madurai Kamaraj Univeristy has instituted and inquiry committee under a retired IAS officer R Santhanam to investigate and punish the guilty.