MADURAI: On Tuesday, the Madurai city police detained Kumar (38), a physical education teacher of Government High School, Thiruppalai for sexually harassing a class IX boy for many days.
The police took action after kin of the boy protested in front of the school demanding action against him. They also attacked the teacher. However some teachers from the school claimed that it was a motivated complaint. They also claimed the boy was gay. Kumar from Virattipathu has been working part-time for the last three years. He visits the school thrice a week and trains students in various sports.
The victim is one among the three children of a widow. Recently, he told one of his friends that Kumar was forcing him to have sex with him.
“The teacher forcibly took him to a bush near the playground of a nearby government school and had sex with him,” said the victim’s friend.
“Unable to bear his harassment, my friend didn’t go to school for three days,” said Solai, another friend.
Solai added that when he questioned Kumar, he denied the allegation. When the news spread among villagers, they all gathered along with the kin of the victim in front of the school demanding action against the teacher. Later the villagers also attacked Kumar, who then confessed to the crime. “The teacher accepted the mistake and asked us to forgive him,” said a member of the Village Education Committee of the school. After the villagers informed the police, they arrested him.
Other teachers asserted that the boy was gay and that Kumar was forced to confess before the villagers who threatened him of dire consequence if he did not. But even after the school management knew the boy was gay, they didn’t try to counsel him.
The district education department officials reached the school and had a thorough briefing on the issue.
“We have, so far, collected information and would take further steps based on police action. We would submit a report on the incident to the higher authorities”, said an official.
The police also have begun questioning Kumar and the alleged victim. “We will file the case only after a thorough probe,” said a police officer.