Chennai, Feb 6 (IANS): A 13-year-old girl from a government school in Bargur, Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu, who accused three of her teachers of rape, is currently receiving psychological counseling, according to the district administration.
Krishnagiri District Collector Dhinesh Kumar confirmed that the girl is being provided mental health support by psychiatrists and psychologists.
The alleged crime, which took place in the first week of January, came to light only on February 3, when schoolteachers visited the girl’s home to investigate her prolonged absence from school.
During their visit, the girl disclosed the sexual assault, which reportedly occurred inside a toilet on the school campus.
Following her revelation, the school’s headmistress and the block education officer filed a complaint, leading to the arrest of the three accused teachers on February 4.
Superintendent of Police P. Thangadurai stated that the police, along with the Child Welfare Committee, visited the girl at her home before taking her to a One-Stop Centre at Krishnagiri Government Medical College Hospital for support.
The accused teachers have denied the charges but were suspended pending investigation.
A preliminary internal enquiry by the School Education Department found no other students or teachers with complaints against them.
The incident has sparked outrage, with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) expressing shock.
In a social media post, he criticised the DMK government for failing to ensure students’ safety in government schools and called upon Chief minister M.K. Stalin to take full responsibility for the incident.
He added, “Girls are not safe in government schools and colleges."
Palaniswami criticised CM Stalin for accusing him of inciting fear and asked what DMK ministers had to say about this situation, where there was lack of safety in educational institutions.
BJP Tamil Nadu state president K. Annamalai condemned the incident, and said sexual assault on women and girls had become a horrifying reality in Tamil Nadu.
He cited a report of a sexual assault on an 18-year-old girl in a moving autorickshaw a couple of days ago.