Chennai, June 1(BPNS)
22 former students of KV , Central Leather Research Institute(CLRI) Campus, Adayar, Chennai has complained of sexual allegation against their former Hindi teacher. The cases related to sexual abuse range a period of 18 years.
The group of alumni wrote a letter to the school principal on Sunday alleging that a language teacher had sexually abused them while they were students in that school.
Asking for immediate suspension of the teacher the alumni said, “Now that the school has been made aware of the child sexual abuse allegations against the teacher, the school is legally bound to inform the police about the same as per the Protection of Children against Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act,2012 as even an apprehension that an offense under the Act may be committed ought to be reported”.
The Alumni have sent copies of the letter to the Tamil Nadu Childline, the CBSE, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and the Tamil Nadu Commission for the Protection of Child Rights.
Saraswati Rangaswami, Chairman, Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights while speaking to BPNS said,” We have received complaints about the teacher over mail and we will be investigating the matter and summons will soon be issued to the school”.
The KV, CLRI campus has constituted a three-member committee to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the conduct against the teacher. The three-member committee comprises two teachers from the KC and one external member, J Raghava Rao, Chief Scientist, CLRI who is also the KV, CLRI management committee member. The committee will conduct a detailed inquiry and then submit a report.
One of the complainants in the letter addressed to the Principal said that the teacher had sexually misbehaved with her on many occasions. The complainant said,” On one particular occasion he had grabbed my buttocks in the middle of a class when I went to distribute chocolates for my birthday. This was witnessed by a friend of mine who was with me.”
After she shared on the alleged incident in social media, several alumni reached out to her alleging that they were also subjected to sexual misbehavior on several occasions.
“ A girl student was made to sit next to him during tuition class and touched her inappropriately in various parts of the body, “ the alumni said adding that ultimately the student decided to change her second language to distance herself from the concerned teacher.
V Ramaprasad, Principal of KV, CLRI campus, Adayar, Chennai, while speaking to BPNS said, “ I am not the competent authority to suspend the accused teacher and a three-member committee is constituted for the same.”
However there are allegations that the KV management is trying to protect the School teacher by delaying the inquiry citing lockdown. The school is insisting on the complainants to present physically before the inquiry committee and has given June 2 as the date for attending the inquiry knowing fully well that a lockdown is in place in several states and in Tamil Nadu as well.
The alumni said that immediate action must be taken against the teacher and in the letter said, “ Several current students may be victims of the faculty member and may be fearful of complaining about his conduct or coming up with a complaint or testifying as a witness as he is still in a position of authority.”
