The Coimbatore police, on Sunday, booked the principal and three other teachers of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sulur under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly sexually harassing two boys aged 15 and 13.
According to the police, the 15-year-old boy was allegedly stripped and sexually harassed by the three on December 1 under the guise of frisking whether he was having a mobile phone. Based on a complaint by the parents of the student, the police registered cases under the POCSO Act against the principal and three teachers for the offence. The police complaint also stated that the principal also recorded the act in his mobile phone and threatened the boy of uploading the video on the internet, if he revealed the incident to anyone else. The complaint also alleged that the boy's brother was also sexually harassed by the four teachers. The 15-year-old boy was admitted to a government hospital in the city for treatment.
The police have registered an FIR under sections 7 (sexual assault), 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of the POCSO act, section 66E of Information Technology Act and section 506 (i) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC based on a complaint from the boys' parents. The principal has, however, denied all the allegations leveled on him by the parents.
Meanwhile, scores of students sat on protest inside the school campus holding placards which urged the parents to 'not misuse POCSO'. 'Don't abuse our teacher #MisusePOCSO' and 'KVS Please Provide Justice', read the placards held by the protesting students.
Speaking to the media, one of the protesting students said that the alleged victims' parents must publicly apologise to the principal. "We know. Our principal has not done anything wrong. He (the student) was bringing mobile phone to the school without permission. Our sisters and other girl students are studying in this school. He has been bringing phone and recording them," said another student, adding that the complaint was made to malign the teachers.
The police is yet to arrest the accused. "We are still investigating the case. We have not made any arrests so far," a police officer at Sulur told TNM.
(With inputs from PTI and Sudhakar Balasundaram)