KOZHIKODE: A retired teacher, who allegedly abused primary school students sexually for nearly 25 years, landed in police net on Friday after an alumnus of the school called him out on social media and a group of survivors joined forces to file a complaint. Sasi Kumar K V, a CPM leader and councillor with the Malappuram municipality, had gone absconding after the police charged a Pocso case against him following the complaint filed by 50 alumni members of St Gemma’s GHSS in Malappuram.
Kumar had worked as a teacher for 38 years at the school before retiring on March 31 this year. He was taken into custody from a homestay at Muthanga in Wayanad. He quit as councillor after the case was registered.The shocking case came to the light when an alumnus from Manjeri called Kumar out in a Facebook post. He wrote it as a response to a post by Kumar about the ‘grand farewell’ accorded to him by the school on March 31. In his post, Kumar had portrayed himself as ‘an ideal teacher’.
The alumnus alleged he had abused students for about 25 years. Soon, many former students shared their ordeal too, triggering a #MeToo campaign. The complaint was lodged with the Malappuram police on May 7.
“Sasi Kumar joined the school in 1984, in the upper primary section. What we gauge from the various complaints received against him is that he might have abused his students sexually for about 25 years. He was popular and was into co-curricular activities as well. Five-six students in each class used to face his abuse,” alleged Beena Pillai, who passed out of the school in 1988 but not taught by Kumar.
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Beena said complaints were raised against Kumar many a time, but the school management did not take any action.“He had abused some children in the most atrocious way. A child had to be taken to hospital after he bit on her chest. In 2019, a complaint was sent to the corporate manager of the school but in vain. No one dared to approach the police then,” said Beena, a lawyer. The alumni members also received another complaint from a woman alleging he had assaulted her outside the school as well. A prominent person at the school told TNIE that they did not receive a single complaint against Kumar.
“I have been with the school for the last five years. The allegation is very serious and we won’t not sit idle on such a serious issue. But we have not received a single complaint,” said the person on condition of anonymity. On Friday, the Muslim Students Federation blocked the Malappuram-Palakkad road demanding action against the teacher and school management, with the protest ending in police lathicharge.
“Even while serving as a full-time teacher with the aided school and drawing state’s salary, Kumar contested the local body elections, won and served as a municipal councilor from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 until now. He never took leave from the school,” said IUML leader Haris Amian, a former PTA president of St Gemma’s school.
Following the case, the CPM suspended Kumar from its branch committee. General Education Minister V Sivankutty has asked department director Jeevan Babu K to probe into the issue and submit a report at the earliest.