The school said it would take all necessary steps to address the situation; city police begin inquiry
Allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against a faculty member of the PSBB group of schools surfaced on social media and soon went viral after a group of students who are currently studying in the school, shared them on Sunday night.
The allegations made by the students were initially shared on the Instagram page of a former student of the school, Kripali. Kripali told The Hindu that some students had initially reached out to her to ask if students from her batch had faced such sexual misconduct from a Commerce teacher at the KK Nagar branch, Rajagopalan. He has reportedly been teaching Commerce and Accountancy for over 20 years at PSBB K.K. Nagar.
“After receiving the first message,I put out a message asking students currently studying in the school to get in touch with me about the same. After speaking to a few of them, I began to share their experiences,” she said. Several students responded to her messages and shared instances of Mr. Rajagopalan’s inappropriate behaviour — both during physical classes as well as virtual classes.
A student alleged that the teacher has been asking them to send pictures of them to him and two other students shared that he had engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour in class. Another student shared that he had asked her to go for a movie with him. A student shared that while they had complained to the school about his behaviour, no action had been taken.
School responds
In a statement, Sheela Rajendra, Dean, Director and Correspondent, PSBB Group of Schools and Geetha Govindarajan, PSBB K.K. Nagar Principal refuted the allegations that these concerns had been brought to the attention of the management in the past.
“However, we are taking suo motu notice of the allegations and will take all necessary steps to address the situation in a free, fair and transparent manner. The welfare of our students has always been and will be our top priority,” they said, and assured the students of an appropriate course of action.
Their statement further said that the school has zero tolerance towards any behaviour that adversely affects the physical, emotional and psychological well being of our students.
Alumni express solidarity with students
In a statement, the alumni of PSBB school expressed their support and solidarity with the present students who have come out and alleged sexual misconduct and harassment against Mr. Rajagopalan, and demanded immediate action including his suspension as a teacher of the school, pending an investigation.
“It pains us that despite the fact that complaints and concerns about Mr. Rajagopalan has been escalated in the past, it has not been dealt with the rigour expected of an institution like PSBB, and we hope that the same will be addressed effectively now,” they said.
They have also asked to ensure that he does not perform any evaluation for any student pending an investigation.
“Ensure that the child protection committee as well as the gender sensitivity committee is suitably appraised of the matter and an independent investigation against Mr. Rajagopalan with an adequate number of external members commences with immediate effect,” their statement said.
The City Police’s special wing, Crime against Women and Children meanwhile, took cognisance of the allegations against the faculty member and the school. On the instruction of the City Police Commissioner, a special team led by H. Jayalakshmi, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime against Women and Children (CWC) wing is enquiring into the allegations.
DMK MP Kanimozhi tweeted on Monday morning saying that the sexual harassment allegations against a commerce teacher in PSBB School were shocking. “Inquiry should be conducted and action must be taken against those who are involved including school authorities who failed to act against the complaints from students. I promise to take this to the concerned authorities,” she said.
Former Union Minister and DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran, in a tweet, said, that as a parent he was extremely horrified by the reports of sexual harassment by a teacher in PSBB. “It’s of utmost importance to ensure a probe into the matter & accountability from the management to provide a safe environment for the children,” the tweet said.