Kendriya Vidyalaya CLRI is among the several other schools which has come under negative light over allegations of sexual harassment a by a language teacher. The school has now set up a committee to look into the complaints.
A complaint against G Rajagopalan, a teacher from PSBB school, Chennai has triggered a series of incidents where students and alumni of schools have called out teachers who apparently were involved in sexually harassing and misbehaving with girl students on various occasions.
A group of 22 alumni from the Kendriya Vidyalaya CLRI school wrote a mail to the principal of the school, T Rama Prasad leveling allegations of sexual harassment against one of the teachers.
A copy of the letter was also marked to the CBSE (the board to which the school is affiliated), the national child rights protection committee, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan besides the school authorities.
One of the alumni said that with the students sending a signed document to the school, authorities are now bound to have the teacher suspended with immediate effect and also inform the police regarding the same.
Students have recollected various instances of inappropriate touching and molestation by the language teacher, some of which are about 18 years old. While one of the students claimed that the teacher touched her inappropriately while she was distributing chocolates for her birthday, some others said that they were molested while he forcefully sat next to them during and after school hours.
The Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also taken cognisance of the letter and said that summons would be issued to the school.
“If children currently studying in our school raised these allegations, we would follow a different protocol. Since it is the alumni that has raised the issue, we will verify the claims,” said Prasad. The findings would be submitted to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan.
The complainants also accused the school of foul play. They claimed that the school had asked alumni to be present in person before June 2 even while knowing that the lockdown was in place. One of them also said that although she was willing to meet the authorities on a video conferencing platform to give her statement, school authorities denied and asked her to be present in person.
Sources: New Indian Express, The News Minute.
