Teacher of noted CBSE school in Tamil Nadu arrested for sexual misconduct in online classes

Chennai, May 25: A 59-year-old teacher of a reputed CBSE school in Chennai has been arrested over allegations of sexual misconduct during online classes.

The teacher, now suspended, faces charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act after complaints by students of the Seshadri Bala Vidhya Bhavan School in the city's KK Nagar area.

Allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in online classes surfaced in social media against a teacher of a reputed CBSE school here, prompting authorities to swing into action on Monday.

Police, education department and child protection unit officials were among those who have initiated action and police officials visited the school premises and have also questioned the teacher, a jurisdictional police officer said.

The school has reportedly placed him under suspension.

The allegations from numerous posts indicated that the accountancy teacher had been targeting girls in classes 11 and 12 for quite some time and even ahead of the start of the first wave of the coronavirus last year and that the management, despite, complaints did not take action.

Use of words that amounted to verbal sexual harassment of girls in physical classes, touching them inappropriately and later claiming that it was 'by accident' formed part of the accusations.

Sending lewd messages through phone, inviting students to 'cinema' or to make late night video calls and appearing with just a towel around the waist in online classes were also alleged.

'Projects' of girls who did not toe his line were targeted, the allegations said.

The school alumni have demanded appropriate action in the matter and the management assured the parents and students of ''necessary steps to address the situation in a free, fair and transparent manner.'' The management claimed that the allegations have not been brought to its notice in the past.