Karkala, Jul 31: Even as the public outrage mounted across the state over the increased cases of rape and sexual harassment in schools, another shameful incident was reported from a government high school at Hebri in Karkala taluk of Udupi district.
Karkala police on Thursday nabbed the headmaster of Hebri Government High School on charges of alleged sexual harassment on a female student. The accused headmaster has been identified as Venkataramana Kalkura.
Kalkura's subordinate teachers Prabhavathi and Veena and Hebri Gram Panchayat president Suresh Shetty also have been taken into custody by the police for allegedly supporting the main accused and trying to cover up the issue.
The police swung into action within hours after the victim lodged a complaint against the headmaster and other accused.
The complainant stated that Kalkura had been sexually harassing her for the past six months. She said that even though she brought the issue to the notice of two female teachers – Prabhavati and Veena – they backed the headmaster and scolded her.
The girl's parents said that when they approached Gram Panchayat president Suresh Shetty the latter also supported the accused.
The girl's parents finally approached district Superintendent of Police Dr Boralingaiah, who directed Karkala ASP Annamalai to look into the matter and take immediate action. Soon after the complaint was registered the ASP visited the school and questioned teachers and students before arresting the main accused.
It is learnt that Kalkura, who was earlier working in a Government High School in Kundapur, was transferred to Hebri following complaints of misbehaviour and sexual abuse in the school in 2013.
Ironically, a group of activists of Bharatiya Janata Party staged a protest in front of jurisdictional police station to express their solidarity with Gram Panchayat president Suresh Shetty who had allegedly tried to cover up the issue.
They argued that Mr Shetty was unnecessarily dragged into the case by the police even though he had not involved in the issue directly.
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