A protest was held at a private school in Manapparai, alleging that a 4th grade student was sexually harassed, and four people, including the school principal and trustee, were arrested.
A CBSE school is functioning on Manapparaipatti Road near Manapparai in Trichy district. It is said that a 4th grade student was sexually harassed by the school trustee and the principal’s husband, Vasantha Kumar. Upon learning of this, parents and relatives went to the school and severely assaulted Vasantha Kumar. The injured man was rescued by the police and taken to the Manapparai Government Hospital.
Meanwhile, the public protested, demanding strict action against the trustee and school administrators who had sexually harassed him.
They also entered the school and vandalized the office. They broke the window of a car parked in the premises and overturned it.
Following this, the public staged a protest on the Trichy-Dindugal National Highway demanding the arrest of the school principal, principal, administrators and others. While Trichy SP Selva Nagaratnam held talks with the protestors, 4 people including trustee Vasantha Kumar and principal Sudha were arrested. In this situation, the headmistress Vijayalakshmi surrendered at the police station while absconding. Following this, the police have registered a case against all the 5 arrested persons under the POCSO Act and are investigating.
Later, speaking to reporters, Trichy SP Selva Nagaratnam said that efforts will be made to create awareness in all schools to prevent sexual harassment of schoolgirls. He also said that the school’s CCTV footage is being examined.
Speaking following this, the student’s relatives have urged the District Collector to take action to close the private school that has been the subject of sexual harassment complaints. They have also demanded that 2 female police officers be deployed in all private schools for the safety of the students.
