A government school teacher in Malappuram district of Kerala, allegedly a repeat sexual offender, was arrested by Karippur police for sexually abusing two boys studying in lower primary classes. V K Ashraf (50), a resident of Vallikkunnu in Malappuram was arrested by the police on Tuesday over the complaint received from parents of the students.
The culprit has been booked under sections five and six of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and is now in remand.
In 2011, on a similar charge of sexually abusing four boys studying in Neduva Government UP School, located in Malappuram district itself, Ashraf was booked and arrested by the police. “Though he was arrested back then, he was set free by the court as the students changed their initial statement given to the police when they came to court,” sub inspector of Karippur police station told TNM.
Though Ashraf was dismissed from Neduva Government UP School in Malappuram in 2011, following the arrest, he was appointed as the teacher of another government school in the district after a few years.
According to Anwar Karakkadan, coordinator of Childline in Malappuram, the government should make a law which prohibits appointing people with such criminal behaviour to teach school students. “Ashraf was arrested before the POCSO Act came into effect. Though the court had set him free, the fact that he was arrested for sexually abusing school students shouldn’t have been forgotten when he was appointed again in another school. If there are provisions like that, the government should immediately take measures to amend it. We don’t want our kids to be taught by people who are paedophilic,” Anwar Karakkadan told TNM.
According to the principal of Neduva Government UP school, where the accused had worked earlier, since appointments are being conducted through public service commission (PSC), there is very little scope to scrutinise the character of those being selected. “Ashraf was a physically challenged person, with a problem in the right hand. Though I don’t know much about him as I am new to this school, I strongly hold the opinion that the government should take measures to stop these kind of incidents,” he said.