Coimbatore: A Class-12 girl student of a private school committed suicide by hanging following alleged sexual harassment by her teacher, who was arrested late last evening.
Police sources said the 17-year-old girl was found dead at her house late on Thursday evening and her body was shifted to the Coimbatore Medical College hospital for autopsy.
Her parents initially did not lodge a police compliant. However, after they found a suicide note left by her, they lodged a complaint with the police, who arrested the teacher Mithun Chakravarthy under various sections of IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after detaining him for questioning.
In the complaint, the girl's father said that she was sexually assaulted by the teacher multiple times.
Unable to bear the torture, the girl took a transfer certificate two months back and continued her studies in a Corporation school. Since the teacher continued to sexually harass her, she ended her life by hanging from the ceiling of the fan.
Acting on the complaint, cases were registered against the teacher under Sec 306 (Abetment of suicide) of the IPC and under Section 9 (l) (Whoever commits sexual assault on the child more than once or repeatedly) read with 10 (Punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the POCSO Act.
The family members of the girl and her fellow students staged a protest demonstration in front of the police station today demanding stringent action against the teacher and the school authorities and refused to take the body.
Meanwhile, DMK MP and Women's Wing leader Kanimozhi expressed shock over the suicide of the young girl and said had the school management acted on the number of complaints given by the girl against the teacher, this death could have been averted.
In a tweet, Ms Kanimozhi demanded stringent action against the school management for not taking action on the multiple complaints given by the girl about the sexual harassment meted out to her by the teacher, who was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody. (UNI)
