COIMBATORE : A minor who was allegedly sexually harassed by her teacher 10 months ago in Coimbatore is running from pillar to post seeking legal action against those who were involved in it directly and indirectly.
The girl studying in class IX in a government school had filed the complaint against her physical education (PE) teacher and others who supported him.
The incident took place on April 15, 2023, when she was studying in Class VIII. She said though she reported it to her teachers, assistant headmaster and headmistress right after the incident, they failed to report it to the police. She also alleged they tried to settle it amicably.
However, in December 2023 the issue came to light and the police booked a case against the PE teacher under sections 9 (l) and 10 of the Pocso Act.
The victim’s mother said, “Though we submitted a detailed complaint two months ago mentioning the names of other teachers who tried to cover up the issue, the police booked the case only on the perpetrator and continued investigation against others at a snail’s pace.”
She further said, “Having lost faith in both the education department and the police, my daughter wrote a detailed petition to the district collector on Monday about the hardships she has been facing. However, there has been no progress so far and I received a reply from the collectorate on Thursday that the petition was forwarded again to the police department. Immediate action against those involved will instil some sense of hope in other students and will increase fear in potential wrongdoers. But we feel that even the minimum action has not been taken against those who supported the perpetrator and those who tried to cover up the incident.”
When asked, Superintendent of Police V Badrinarayanan said they have altered the Pocso sections and invoked the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act and the SC/ ST Act. He also said there is no delay and no one would be spared.
Chief Educational Officer R Balamurali said, “We will take action depending on the probe result.”