Chennai, Mar 29 (IANS): A 55-year-old teacher was arrested in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district after a 13-year-old girl student of his class attempted suicide accusing him of molesting her several times.

The class 7 student had complained to her parents that D. Muralikrishna was touching her inappropriately and that despite being warned, he was continuing with his indecent behaviour.

Instead of supporting the child, the parents told her that she must have felt so as the teacher was old enough to be her grandfather.

Police said that the attitude of her parents pushed the girl into acute depression and she attempted suicide by drinking varnish at her home on Saturday.

The parents then approached the police and the teacher was arrested on Monday. The SHO at Tiruvallam police in Vellore district booked the teacher under Sections 7 (Sexual assault), 8 (punishment for sexual assault), 9 (aggravated sexual assault), and 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection for Children Under Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act of 2012.

Tiruvallam police also said that he was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Woman Act 1998 and arrested the teacher.

Police said that the condition of the girl is stable and she was recovering at a private hospital.