மாணவிமீது கை வைத்த ஆசிரியர் மரிய மைக்கேல் ஜோஸப்பை எதிர்த்து தாம்பரம் மக்கள் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்

மாணவிமீது கை வைத்த ஆசிரியர் மரிய மைக்கேல் ஜோஸப்பை எதிர்த்து தாம்பரம் மக்கள் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்.

பாதிரியாராகா இருந்தாலும், சாதாரண கிறிஸ்துவராக இருந்தாலும் ஒழுக்கம் என்னவிலை என்று கேட்பார்கள் போல

School ransacked by relatives of abuse victim
Special Correspondent
— Photo: A.Muralitharan

SEEKING JUSTICE: Relatives and neighbours protesting outside the Montfort School on Aserkhana Street, Alandur in Chennai, seeking action against a teacher on Wednesday.

TAMBARAM: Relatives and neighbours of a girl studying in VIII standard in a private school in Alandur ransacked the school on Wednesday for alleged sexual abuse of the 13-year-old girl by the yoga instructor.

Trouble began at 2 p.m. when the group forced its way into Montfort School on Aserkhana Street, Alandur, seeking action against Maria Michael Joseph, the 43-year-old yoga instructor and English teacher. It damaged doors and window panes, furniture in classrooms and library and statues. No one was injured.

The instructor allegedly molested the girl during yoga training sessions on more than one occasion and is reported to have contacted her over phone. On Tuesday, a relative of the girl gave a complaint to the school authorities narrating how she was sexually abused and sought action against the teacher.

As the news spread, her relatives, neighbours and members of the Tamil Nadu Touhit Jamat entered the school premises. They left the school premises only after the police from St. Thomas Mount police station arrived. The protesters continued to raise slogans against the teacher.

The teacher was taken to the police station and remanded to judicial custody by an Alandur court. He was booked under Section 354 (assault on woman with criminal intent to outrage her modesty) of Indian Penal Code and Section 4 (1) of Tamil Nadu Prevention of Harassment to Women Act, the police said.

School authorities declined to comment. The violence could have been avoided had the school authorities acted promptly on the complaint, the police said.