A 46-year-old physical education teacher of the Government Home for Children in Ranipet was arrested after seven boys aged 14-16, residing at the home complained to the warden-in-charge that the teacher had been sexually assaulting them for months.
The police said K. Senthilkumar was working in the home as a physical training teacher since 2008. The home, which is one of the oldest facilities for children (boys) in the combined Vellore district that includes Ranipet and Tirupattur, has a government middle school and accommodation for orphans and children in need of care and protection within its premises.
Of the total strength of 61 children, the home currently has 46. “Based on the complaint from the home’s warden in-charge, we held an inquiry with the children, who spoke about the teacher sexually abusing them,” A.D. Vasuki, inspector, all-women police station (AWPS), Ranipet, told The Hindu.
Initial inquiry revealed that the suspect, Senthilkumar, a native of Naidu Vattam village in Tirupattur, has been residing at the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) quarters for the last 12 years since he joined the government home.
The police said the incident came to light after the warden-in-charge, Vijayakumar, who lodged the complaint with the police, noticed behavioural changes in the children over the course of a week. He spoke to over a dozen children at the home individually. Of those, seven admitted to being sexually abused by Senthilkumar for months. Immediately, Mr. Vijayakumar alerted the District Child Protection Office (DCPO), and the local police visited the home and held an inquiry.
Based on the complaint, the all-women police in Ranipet registered a case under Sections 7, 8, 19 (1), and 21 (2) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act and section 506 (1) of the Indian Penal Code.
A fortnight ago, a 36-year-old warden of a children’s home run with government grants-in-aid in Tiruvannamalai was arrested after seven residents of the home called Childline to report that he had been sexually assaulting them for three months. The Chetpet police registered a case, and the children were shifted to a reception home.
