Chennai, Feb 12 (IANS) AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu opposition leader, K. Palaniswami (EPS) said on Wednesday that the student body of the party will stage a protest in Chennai against the DMK government’s alleged failure to prevent recent incidents of sexual offences against women and children in the state.
EPS said that former minister B. Valarmathi and the party’s student wing leader Singai G. Ramachandran would lead the protest near Valluvar Kottam in Chennai from 10.30 a.m on February 18.
The protest would also put pressure on the DMK government to crack down on those involved in such offences with an iron fist, Palaniswami said.
Edappadi K.Palaniswami who is also the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu alleged that murders, dacoity, robbery, and kidnapping, among other crimes, have become common ever since the DMK government came to power in addition to the sexual offences on women and children.
“The law and order situation in Tamil Nadu has deteriorated due to these incidents,” he said.
The AIADMK general secretary said that sexual offences against women and children were taking place in the state due to the inefficient DMK government, adding that parents of school-going children are worried about the sexual assaults taking place across the state.
A few days ago, a 13-year-old girl from a government school in Bargur, Krishnagiri district accused three of her teachers of rape. The alleged crime, which took place in the first week of January, came to light only on February 3, when schoolteachers visited the girl’s home to investigate her prolonged absence from school.
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.
Superintendent of Police P. Thangadurai stated that the police, along with the 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.
Krishnagiri District Collector Dhinesh Kumar confirmed that the girl is being provided mental health support by psychiatrists and psychologists.
In another incident of a teacher sexually assaulting a student, Tamil Nadu Police on February 9 arrested a science teacher at a government school in Yercaud, Salem, for sexually abusing ten girl students.
The accused, Ilayakannu (37), was arrested by Yercaud Police on February 9 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.
An inquiry team visited the school and conducted investigations with 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 POCSO Act and arrested Ilayakannu.
–IANS
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