A group of 22 alumni of a school run by the Central government in the city has raised allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against a faculty member. They have submitted a representation to the principal demanding immediate action against him.
The school has formed a committee to look into the charges.
An alumnus said in the representation that the recent allegations against a teacher of a private school in the city had prompted her to share her experience on social media. Following this, several alumni made similar allegations against the faculty member, a Hindi teacher. The allegations, they said, warranted an immediate impartial inquiry.
While one alumnus stated that the faculty member had groped her, a few others said he had touched them inappropriately. “So far, 22 former students, including me, have shared about how he misbehaved with them, many times in full public view. These instances span a time frame of close to 18 years,” the representation read. The alumni expressed concerns that many current students might be too scared to speak out against him.
They demanded that the faculty member be suspended immediately and not be allowed to conduct classes or take part in the academic activities.
The alumni also asked the school to have a child protection policy and constitute a child protection committee to look into such complaints. Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the school was bound to report these allegations to the police, they said.
The principal said he received the representation on e-mail on Monday and the school formed a committee — comprising three faculty members and an external member — to conduct a preliminary investigation. “If the allegations are found to be true, a subsequent inquiry will be conducted by a team from our regional office,” he said.
Saraswathi Rangasamy, chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said the commission was aware of the allegations and planned an inquiry. Following allegations of sexual harassment in schools, it has opened inquiries in four city schools.
