CHENNAI: Over four months after former PSBB teacher G Rajagopalan was arrested under the POCSO Act based on complaints of sexual harassment from students and alumni of the school, the city police on Sunday filed a chargesheet.
Sources said the chargesheet, containing several pages, has statements of those who were allegedly abused by the teacher during the many years of his career. It also contains screenshots of messages and images of Rajagopalan wearing just a towel to online classes. The statements from witnesses and other evidence are also present, said the police.
A senior police officer said certain details can’t be disclosed as the case has been registered under the POCSO Act and the identity of the victims and witnesses must be safeguarded. The Ashok Nagar All Women Police arrested Rajagopalan early on May 25. He was brought to a magistrate who remanded him in judicial custody.
The alleged sexual harassment came to light after Kripali, an alumna of the school, collated and shared screenshots of many students sharing their allegations of being harassed by the teacher. One of the screenshots shows a picture of him topless with only a cloth around his neck.
The management of PSBB School soon suspended Rajagopalan, a Class 12 Commerce and Accountancy teacher from the KK Nagar Branch. This happened after several students and alumni alleged he misbehaved. He allegedly showed up at online classes with just a towel, touched students inappropriately, asked them out for movies, shared pornographic links on groups, and passed comments of a sexual nature about female students.
In the suspension memo, the PSBB management said, “Some very serious allegations of misconduct have been alleged against you and the same has come to the knowledge of the management from and through social media.” The school added that the teacher will be suspended pending further enquiry.
Rajagopalan was arrested under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act, Sections 354 (a) and 509 of the IPC Act, and Sections 67 and 67(a) of the IT Act. In May, the screenshots went viral online, drawing the attention of senior politicians, including DMK MP Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran, and celebrities such as singer Chinmayi Sripada.
Former student had shared screenshots online
The alleged sexual harassment came to light after Kripali, an alumna of the school, collated and shared screenshots of many students sharing their allegations against the teacher. One of the screenshots showed a picture of him topless with only a cloth around his neck. Rajagopalan was arrested under Sections 11 and 12 of the POCSO Act, Sections 354 (a) and 509 of the IPC Act, and Sections 67 and 67(a) of the IT Act. The case drew the attention of senior politicians and celebrities