On May 23, former and current students of Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan (PSBB), a group of Schools in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, called out a teacher for his alleged paedophilic behaviour and instances of sexual harassment of students. It appears to have started with a Twitter space where some participants alleged casteism being practised in the school premises. However, soon enough, students began sharing their horrifying experiences with one particular teacher identified as Rajagopalan. Soon enough, many students, both alumnus and current, came forward to tell their ordeal with the teacher.
Singer Chinmayi Sripaaada highlighted the online campaign, adding that the said teacher is currently appointed at the KK Nagar branch of the PSBB school in Chennai.
I have been asked to share this.
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) May 23, 2021
A staff member PSBB KK Nagar Branch and the screenshots of him coming in a towel wrapped around his waist to class (!!) to watching porn in class.
Model Kripali Samdaria has collated all accounts on Instagram here.
(@__kripali on Instagram) pic.twitter.com/5ji8tj0hxB
Model Kripali Samdaria has started a campaign on her Instagram stories and urged everyone to share their experiences so that the alleged paedophilic behaviour of the teacher could be exposed. She received several messages narrating horrifying experiences with Rajagopalan during school as well as after school. Notably, in one of the interviews in 2018, Kripali had mentioned that she was body-shamed in the school for being lean.
Rajagopalan took an online class in a towel
One of the students who shared their ordeal with Kripali made a shocking revelation that Rajagopalan had attended online class in his towel. She wrote, “He came to class straight out of his bathroom with only a towel tied to his waist.” The student also shared a screenshot with Kripali as proof.
Demanded photos, night video calls and asked girls for ‘date’
Several students alleged that Rajagopalan made inappropriate comments on their bodies, made sexual advancements, touched inappropriately and asked to go out for movies. One of the students mentioned in the DMs that Rajagopalan harassed several of her batchmates and juniors. The girl, who is currently a student in the school, said that he asked one of her friends for a movie. She also alleged that the teacher shared a pornographic link in the class group.
She also said that he asked for photos and demanded late-night video calls from girl students.
The student also shared screenshots of the messages he had sent on WhatsApp in which he was seen inappropriately appreciating the student’s dress.
The student who was asked by Rajagopalan for the movie also came forward and shared screenshots of his messages. She said that he was ignoring her request to check her project. When she sent a message begging him to check the project, he agreed. However, the next morning he sent her a message asking her out.
He had asked, “Ur free tonight can we go to a movie.” When the student cornered him and said it was inappropriate of him to ask a minor to go out with him for a movie, he claimed that the message was supposed to be for someone else, and he sent it by mistake.
A former student said he had tried to hug her in front of the class. Another student shared a very inappropriate joke about a girl student’s breast that he had made in the class. Several students said that his behaviour is often normalized by fellow students and even the school’s administration.
One of the students was allegedly paired with him, giving him “more power” to harass her.
“He would select some a few of us as his ‘targets’ and constantly slut-shame and make horrible sex jokes about us to the point of breaking down in the class. A few times when we were expected to stay back in small groups, he would give us disgusting looks, touch us ‘by accident’ and even so much say things like ‘you are making me horny (in Tamil),” told one student to Kripali in DMs. Sadly, Rajagopalan was head of the sexual harassment committee.
Another student shared her ordeal when she had gone with him to a school competition in Hong Kong five years ago. During the trip, he made sexual advancements towards the student and even tried to give her wine to drink. She was 16 years old at that time. When she refused repeatedly, he belittled her and shamed her for not winning an award. She said he also joined the students for shopping in Hong Kong and asked inappropriate questions about the clothes they bought.
One student told about her friend who had curly hair. Boys were teasing her and accidentally pulled her hair with force. When Rajagopalan heard her scream, he allegedly said, “Why are you shouting like you are being raped.”
Boys were not spared either
One of the male students came forward and shared his ordeal. He alleged that he had touched his private parts while frisking him, alleging he brought the phone to the school.
Other teachers were called out
Several students called out other teachers as well for their inappropriate behaviour in the class. One of the students talked about a former Sanskrit teacher who would abuse students, slap them for no apparent reason and even flirt openly with girl students. He would “accidentally” walk into the girls’ changing room and inappropriately touch both boys and girls. A female biology teacher was mentioned in the stories, who would flirt openly with the male students, used derogatory language for girls, and used cuss words in class. She also made sexual remarks and jokes with students.
No action from the administration
Several students mentioned that they had approached the appropriate authorities who did not respond to any complaint. Even parents’ complaints were ignored, and the students were warned to remain silent. Several complaints were ignored, and the students were allegedly made laughing stock for complaining against Rajagopalan or any other teacher in PSBB. The students were told to remain silent else their “future would be ruined if he willed to”.
OpIndia has contacted Kripali to learn more about the incidents. We will update the story once she replies. As this is an ongoing story, more updates will follow.