In a shocking incident, a female teacher in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, was arrested on Wednesday for sexually abusing her students. The arrest was made after her husband provided evidence to the District Collector.
Nithya, 30, was already reprimanded and was fired from her previous place of employment for her abusive behaviour. However, many called out the school since they didn't report the incident but just let her go, reports The News Minute.
"Instead of taking corrective measures, they transferred her. After receiving her husband's complaint, we enquired with the headmaster, who concealed the information and gave a report of her good conduct. Only when the social welfare department got involved were we able to unearth these details," a district official was quoted as saying by TNM.
Nithya first joined a school in Arni town of Tiruvannamalai in 2014 as an English teacher. However, she was let go due to her behaviour towards students and has been transferring to different schools since then.
Due to problems in their marriage, Nithya and her husband separated in 2016. Since then, the husband visited many police stations accusing Nithya of adultery but the police did not act upon it. In December 2018, the husband came across compromising photos of Nithya on her mobile phone and showed them to the District Collector. According to TNM, she kept the photos to share them online.
The Collector ordered an investigation in January and a complaint was filed by District Child Protection Unit (DCPU).
Nithya was immediately removed from her post in the school and an investigation was launched. She was at last arrested on March 20, Wednesday. She has been sentenced by Justice Devanathan of Fast Track Mahila Court, Thiruvannamalai, to stay at the Velur Central Women's Jail till April 4.
Nithya has been charged under sections 10 and 14 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act). Section 10 addresses aggravated sexual assault while 14 is punishment for using a child for pornographic purposes.
In a similar incident, a male math teacher in Mumbai was convicted of molesting three girl students in a story which came to light in October 2018. When the school principal stood up for the victims, she was removed from her position but was reinstated.
However, the convicted teacher was allowed to join the same school in his previous teaching post two months after the court order.
