Coimbatore: Police on Wednesday arrested the headmistress of a government middle school in Pollachi and her husband after registering a case in connection with the sexual harassment of a minor girl on the school premises.
The accused were identified as Ayyammal, 55 and her husband, Thangavelu, 56, a retired employee of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC). “The survivor, a 10-year-old student, has been refusing to attend online classes and demanding her parents to admit her to a new school. When her parents visited the school to get the transfer certificate, Ayyammal advised them to let their daughter continue her education there. When her parents asked her the reason for her reluctance to attend classes, the girl told them that she was subjected to sexual harassment,” a police officer said.
“Till the lockdown was imposed, Thangavelu used to pick up and drop Ayyammal at the school. In March, Thangavelu took the girl to an isolated place on the school premises and sexually harassed her. He also threatened her with dire consequences if she discloses the matter to anyone. When the girl told her about the incident, Ayyammal scolded her and also warned her not to discuss the matter to anyone else,” the officer added.
Based on the complaint of the girl’s parents, the Pollachi All Women Police Station (AWPS) arrested the accused. While Thangavelu was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and Section 342 (wrongful confinement) of IPC, Ayyammal was booked under the Pocso Act and Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (I) (criminal intimidation) of IPC. They were remanded in judicial custody.