COIMBATORE: Although repeated instructions have been given by the school education department that crimes against school children must be reported immediately to Childline or the police, the headmistress and teachers of a government school in the Mettupalayam area of the district allegedly concealed an incident involving aggravated penetrative sexual assault of a Class 8 girl, committed by a stationery shop owner on Tuesday.
After an activist informed police on Tuesday night, officers conducted an inquiry on Wednesday and arrested the shop owner, S Vijayakumar (72), under 5(l) r/w 10 of POCSO Act. Sources said the girl went to a stationery shop located opposite her school to buy a notebook on Tuesday, around 8.30 am. While at the shop, the owner allegedly sexually assaulted her. The frightened student rushed back to school and informed her teachers.
Without informing the police or Childline officials, the headmistress allegedly called the victim’s mother and sent her home in the afternoon. After the issue came to light, a social activist alerted the police on Tuesday night, sources added. The minor’s mother, a daily wager, told TNIE that when she requested teachers to accompany her to enquire with the accused about the incident, they refused to cooperate. She said that a few teachers even allegedly urged her to drop the matter since the victim is a girl. Activist S Basha told TNIE that as soon as the child reported the incident, the teachers should have alerted the police and Childline.
“As the incident had not been reported to the police until 10.30 pm on Tuesday, I informed the department myself. Following this, the police conducted an inquiry on Wednesday morning,” he said. The school education department mandates that HMs must immediately report sexual harassment or assault against a child to the police and Childline. Basha added that the school administration reported the matter to the police on Tuesday night, only after he intervened.
He requested that departmental action be taken against the teachers and headmistress. The headmistress denied the allegations and said that she had informed the police and the education department on Tuesday night. She added that she first needed to confirm the veracity of the incident before informing.
Chief Educational Officer R Balamurali told TNIE that the headmistress informed him about the incident on Wednesday morning, adding that an inquiry would be held into the delay in reporting the matter by school authorities.
