CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Police have arrested a science teacher at a government school in Yercaud, Salem, on the charges of sexually abusing ten female students.
The accused, Ilayakannu (37), was arrested by Yercaud police on Friday night and charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
Ilayakannu, who taught science to students in classes 10 and 12, allegedly assaulted ten girls.
The incident came to light when one of the victims gathered the courage to inform the school's headmistress and demanded action against the teacher.
The headmistress immediately reported the matter to officials of the Education Department and the District Child Protection Unit. Following this, a team visited the school and enquired the students.
Preliminary inquiries confirmed that the teacher had abused ten students. Based on the complaint filed by the District Child Protection Unit, the Kondalampatti All Women's Police Station registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act and arrested Ilayakannu.
Further investigations are underway.
In a similar incident in Krishnagiri District recently, three government school teachers were arrested for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl at Panchayat Union Middle School in Bargur, Krishnagiri district.
The crime, which occurred in early January, only came to light on February 3 when schoolteachers visited the girl's home to enquire about her prolonged absence.
During their visit, the girl disclosed the sexual assault, which reportedly occurred inside a toilet on the school campus. Following her revelation, the school's headmistress and the Block Education Officer filed a complaint, leading to the arrest of the three accused teachers on February 4.
Krishnagiri District Collector Dhinesh Kumar confirmed that the girl is being provided mental health support by psychiatrists.
Superintendent of Police P. Thangadurai stated that the police and Child Welfare Committee visited the girl at her home before taking her to a One-Stop Centre at Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital for support.
The accused teachers have denied the charges but were suspended pending investigation. A preliminary internal inquiry by the School Education Department found no other students or teachers with complaints against them.
The incident has sparked outrage, with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) expressing shock.
In a social media post, he criticised the DMK government for "failing" to ensure students' safety in government schools and called upon Chief Minister M. K. Stalin to take full responsibility for the incident.
He added, "Girls are not safe in govt schools and colleges."
Palaniswami criticised CM Stalin for accusing him of inciting fear and asked what DMK ministers had to say about this situation.
BJP Tamil Nadu state president K. Annamalai condemned the incident and said sexual assault on women and girls had become a horrifying reality in Tamil Nadu.
He cited a report of a sexual assault on an 18-year-old girl in a moving autorickshaw a couple of days before.