A video of the Minister of Higher Education touching the feet of female athletes is causing outrage

P. Viswanathan | Photo credit: MOORTHY M

A video of Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan touching the outstretched legs of sportswomen while talking to them at an event in Melur, Madurai, recently sparked outrage on the Internet.

The female athletes were reportedly resting after running a marathon race organized as part of the birthday celebrations of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The minister reportedly greeted the athletes after the prize distribution at Melur Government School, where the event was held. The video shows him touching the outstretched legs of the athletes and snapping their toes, while another guest was seen shaking hands with them.

The video was widely circulated on social media platforms. DMK president and former minister SS Sivasankar had earlier expressed dismay at the incident during a press conference and said the good-touch-bad-touch lesson usually taught to school children should be extended to cabinet members as well.

“A person in authority should behave more responsibly rather than being swayed by the moment or the intoxication of power,” said Vidya Reddy, co-founder of the Tulir-Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse. “There should be an official public condemnation of the incident.”

Speaking about Tulira’s experience of abuse in sports, Ms Vidya asked what child protection policies were enforced by sports bodies responsible for athletes.

She wondered why, despite the large number of people who were present at the scene and thanks to video cameras recording the event, none of the onlookers raised their voices. “Bystander intervention becomes critical because it serves as an immediate check for abuse,” she emphasized. Such incidents, she argued, often blur the boundaries for a child, leaving them completely vulnerable to further abuse.

Published – 24 Jun 2026 20:05 IST