A 52-year-old male teacher from an aided school in Taliparamba of Kerala’s Kannur district has been arrested for allegedly molesting 26 students since November 2021. The senior teacher was arrested under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on January 12 based on complaints from the district Childline authorities, police said.
Media reports say that the arrested man is Faisal Mechery from Malappuram district’s Kondotty. He has been teaching at the school for four years. It was during a counseling session at the school that the female students revealed about the alleged sexual harassment.
“A student recently narrated the abuse she faced to another teacher of the school. The teacher immediately informed the Childline authorities who later informed us. We got the complaint on January 11,” police told PTI. The official said that upon further counselling, more students raised complaints against the teacher.
Five students had at first given statements to the police after which Faisal was arrested and placed in remand custody. Later, 21 more students came forward. “We registered five cases on January 12 and arrested the accused. Later, 21 cases were registered. He has been remanded to judicial custody,” the police said.
The police added that the students narrated incidents of molestation from November 2021 when the school reopened after the pandemic.
Last May, a retired school teacher’s Facebook post had brought forth many complaints of sexual abuse against him by students sharing their experiences. KV Sasikumar was then booked by the Women’s Police Station in Malappuram under the POCSO Act.
In February last year, an assistant professor at SN College in Thiruvananthapuram district’s Chempazhanthy was accused of sexual harassment by multiple students. Though T Abhilash was found guilty by the Directorate of Collegiate Education, the college authorities allegedly sided with the professor and took action against the teachers who stood by the students, by transferring them.
(With PTI inputs)