TN sexual assault: School didn’t verify credentials of ‘NCC’ trainer, hushed up crime

The district administration of Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu has instructed all private and government schools to disclose details about any training sessions that were recently held under the name of National Cadet Corps (NCC).

The notice has been issued after it came to light that a 13-year-old Class VIII student was sexually assaulted and12 other girls were abused at a fake NCC camp held on their school premises in the district.

11 arrests made

Police, so far, have arrested 11 people including the alleged perpetrator Sivaraman, the school’s principal, teachers and staff under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the BNS Act.

The accused, Sivaraman, was the east district secretary of Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK)’s youth wing. He was expelled by NTK leader Seeman from the party on Saturday. NTK has not yet commented on the issue.

Sivaraman, who injured his right foot while trying to escape the police, is undergoing treatment at the Krishnagiri General Hospital.

Girls recount ordeal

Krishnagiri District Collector KM Sarayu informed the media that after one parent filed a complaint, several others also came forward with their grievances.

“We are counselling students and encouraging them to report incidents without fear. We have also arranged counselling sessions for parents to ensure they do not withhold any details about the incident. Parents and students across the district can use the 1098 helpline to provide any additional information related to this case,” Sarayu said.

School didn’t verify organiser’s credentials

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu division of the NCC has clarified that no NCC training was conducted in Krishnagiri.

“The personnel involved in the alleged incident have no connection with the NCC. No NCC camp was conducted in Krishnagiri,” Commodore S Raghav, the Deputy Director General of NCC Directorate said in a release.

Authorities of the concerned private school admitted before the police that they did not verify the credentials of the trainer or the legitimacy of the training programme before organising it. The camp, held from August 5 to 9, involved 41 students, including 17 girls.

Sivaraman reportedly approached the school’s authorities to conduct an NCC camp inside the campus. The school did not have an NCC unit, and Sivaraman allegedly promised that they would qualify by hosting the camp.

Authorities hushed up crime

Police said when one of the students reported the sexual assault to a teacher, the latter failed to alert the authorities, and the school management tried to hush up the incident.

Superintendent of Police P Thangadurai said that when other parents were about to file complaints, Sivaraman fled to Coimbatore.

“The school authorities silenced the students. So far, 13 students have provided details on the crime. The school failed to follow basic guidelines for conducting a residential camp and did not verify the camp’s legitimacy. We are investigating how Sivaraman gained access to the school and are investigating about any such previous attempts by him,” he said.

Similar fake camps must be busted: Activist

Criticising the failure of school authorities to report the assault, child rights activist A Devaneyan called for the dismissal of teachers who kept mum and tried to cover up the crime.

“We have seen many cases where abusers escape justice because victims or aware teachers fail to report the incidents. The Krishnagiri case should not be an exception. The school education department must collect details from all schools about residential training and camps to uncover further information,” he told The Federal.

The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has issued GO No. 83 in 2021, which lays out the responsibility of an institution in addressing sexual violence in school-based settings.

But child rights activists like Devaneyan have been pointing out that guidelines and SOPs related to filing of sexual abuse complaints were not implemented in both government and private schools.

Helpline

Dial the child helpline 1098 to report child abuse and trafficking.