Kerala: Male teacher ‘abuses’ minor student in car; principal, two others arrested for siding with accused

Kochi (Kerala): A guest teacher along with principle and two regular teachers of Tripunithura school in Kerala were arrested on Monday in connection to the alleged sexual abuse with a 17-year-old student inside a moving vehicle on November 16.

As per reports the incident occurred when the victim, a class XI student was returning from the school’s Arts festival with the accused guest teacher Kiran Karun (43) in his car.

Police said, the accused allegedly abused the student in his car before dropping her back to home. Later when the student tried to complain of his behaviour, the school principal Sivakala (53), of Thiruvananthapuram and two other teachers Shailaja, 55, of Brahmamangalam, and Joseph, 53, of Panangad made efforts to hush-up the matter.

The school principal even tried to convince the girl to withdraw the petition.

The matter however, came to light after a group of students protested against the accused teacher inside the school premise. The incident allegedly prompted the counsellor teacher who had talked to the victim previously, to report the matter to police.

Following the complaint, police registered the case and launched a search for the accused teacher who was on the run.

In a statement released for press, the cops informed about the arrest of Kiran Karunakaran from Nagarcoil in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. He was hiding there ever since the abuse happened.

The school principal and two other teachers were also arrested on Monday for not reporting the incident to the police on time, read the press statement.

All of them have been arrested under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said.

The student was allegedly sexually assaulted in the area falling under Thrippunithura police station of Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Wednesday when she was travelling with her teacher Kiran Karunakaran on his bike while returning from the school’s art festival.

Reportedly, the student’s family sent the girl to participate in the arts festival after the teacher assured the family that he would drop her off safely, as private bus owners were holding a strike in Kochi.

The police also arrested two other persons who helped to hide the main accused Kiran Karunakaran, a native of Pattimattom in Ernakulam district.

Besides, the police also seized the main accused’s car which he used for hiding to evade his arrest after committing the crime.

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