Government hostel students thrash headmaster for abusing girl in Karnataka

MANDYA: A high school headmaster in charge of a government-run girls' hostel in Pandavapura was thrashed by the girl students after he attempted to abuse an inmate on Wednesday.
Chinmaya Murthy, 47, has been arrested under the provision of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. He has also been suspended pending a departmental inquiry.
According to the inmates, the teacher was sexually harassing the high school students staying in the hostel. He used to touch them inappropriately and also showed them obscene videos and threatened them with dire consequences if they revealed the matter to anyone, the girls told police. On December 14, Chinmaya Murthy summoned a girl to his room and tried to abuse her by touching her inappropriately. The girl yelled for help.
Incensed at his misbehaviour and increasing audacity, a group of girls ganged up, locked him up in a room and beat him up with sticks. Pandavapura police registered an FIR after the warden lodged a complaint and have booked Chinmaya Murthy under various sections of IPC and Pocso. The hostel is next to the high school where Chinmaya Murthy is the headmaster. He visited the hostel regularly for 'inspection' and summoned students to his room, complained the girls.
MLA CS Puttaraju assured the parents and villagers that strict legal action will be taken against him and that the safety of the girls is priority.
District minister K Gopalaiah appreciated the courage the girls showed in confronting the accused.