Seven women teachers have accused the headmaster of sexually harassing them
Madras high court
Chennai: Seven women teachers of a government high school in Kolathur, Kancheepuram, have accused the headmaster of sexually harassing them in a petition to the Madras high court and demanded action against him.
The women, working as BT (Bachelor of Teaching) Assistants in various subjects in the co-educational school running classes VI to X, have claimed that Mr M. K. Beemkumar, began to sexually harass them soon after taking over as headmaster on October 19, 2012,.
But with no support from others in the school, they suffered the harassment in silence. It was only when the situation worsened and the headmaster became abusive physically, verbally and nonverbally, did they reveal the harassment even to each other, they claimed.
And later, on the advice of their husbands, they approached the Chief Educational Officer onOctober 13, this year , but she refused to receive a written complaint and said she would talk to the headmaster instead. But when,the next day, the president of the local village panchayat was ill-treated by the headmaster, they were assured by the personal assistant to the CEO that he would be transferred and asked to sign a letter that they would not pursue the matter, the women claimed.
Alleging that the higher authorities were not inclined to take action against the headmaster , they deplored that no complaints committee or internal complaints committee had been constituted by the department of education in schools in the district. Justice M M Sundresh, posted the matter for further hearing to December 22.
( Source : dc )
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