Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 1: Primary and secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar, who shared a photograph of himself with the family members of a minor who was sexually harassed, is being severely criticised.

Many have pointed out that the minister has revealed the identity of the minor by sharing the pictures of her family, which is a clear violation of POCSO Act and Juvenile Justice Act, which mandates that the victim’s identity should not be revealed in any manner.

On December 21, Kumar visited a school in Koramangala and met a parent whose elder daughter faced sexual harassment from school staffers. The woman’s son was also beaten up. Police acted on the complaint and arrested the principal and two teachers, who were later released on bail.

On the same day, the minister put up a post of him meeting the woman and her son. He also highlighted that he met the victim’s family and asked police to take prompt action. Even though the girl was not in the picture, the post with the family members photograph revealed her identity.

The girl’s mother who saw the Facebook post was upset and did not know what to do. However, she decided to keep quiet as her daughter’s photo was not put up. She also said that she has not received any help from the minister so far and her calls to him remain unanswered.

The minister has not yet responded to media queries, while his office maintains that no mistake is committed as the girl’s photo was not published.