Reports of sexual harassment have shifted from yearly to quarterly, monthly, fortnightly, weekly and now to a daily occurrence, due to increasing frequency and numbers, as evidenced by incidents reported in social media and select print and visual media outlets. Many cases go unreported due to victims’ families’ concerns about social stigma, their future prospects, political pressures, monetary offers, and intimidation tactics from the accused’s relatives, supporters, and political connections.
Coming into details, a netizen says in a post on X that during the past 36 hours of 3 week in February, there were 18 cases of harassment and rape involving 14 minors and four women, proving that the state is becoming unsafe for women and children.
According to Sanghi Prince, a social media activist who was arrested multiple times exposing DMK government failures, “Sexual assaults and harassment cases are increasing in schools. When will the Education Minister turn his attention to addressing them? Most of the accused are from the DMK party. If he takes action, the entire DMK party will be in prison.”
பள்ளியிலேயே மாணவிகள் மீதான பாலியல் குற்றங்கள் அதிகரிக்கிறது…அதனை ஒழுங்குபடுத்த பள்ளிக்கல்வித்துறை அமைச்சர் எப்போது தன் வேலையை செய்ய ஆரம்பிப்பார்.?? – அண்ணா
ஏற்கனவே மாட்டுறதுல 90% திமுககாரன் தான்…இதுல அவர் சரி செய்தால் கட்சியே ஜெயிலுக்குள்ள தான் நடத்த முடியும் 🤧 pic.twitter.com/2zymB5dWwi
— Sanghi Prince 🚩 (@SanghiPrince) February 13, 2025
In another incident, police booked a guest lecturer of an aided college in Palayamkottai under the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually harassing an undergraduate student. He had sent lewd messages and made inappropriate phone calls to the minor student during night hours.
திராவிடியா பாவாடை நெல்லை சூர்யா சேவியர் @suryaxavier1 கண்ணில் படும் வரை பகிரவும்.
நெல்லை தூய சேவியர் கல்லூரி பேராசிரியர் பிரைட் ஜோவாட்ஸ் போக்சோ வழக்கில் கைது!
மாணவிக்கு பாலியல் தொந்தரவு கொடுத்ததாக புகார்! pic.twitter.com/Z2fcfA3pjt
— கழுகுப்பார்வை 🦅🇮🇳 (@TheEagle3_0) February 14, 2025
In Dharmapuri, a mathematics teacher from a government higher secondary school was arrested under the POCSO Act after more than 10 students submitted complaints through the school’s complaint box.
In another case, three teachers from a government school in Krishnagiri were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student.
In Chennai’s Ashok Nagar, Tamil teacher G. Sudhakar (43) from a private school was arrested on charges of sexually abusing a ninth-standard boy.
மாணவனுக்கு பா#chennai ர்ச்சர் – சென்னை பிரைவேட் ஸ்கூலில் அதிர்ச்சி#privateschool #chennai #ThanthiTV pic.twitter.com/e48mTOJsGn
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) February 12, 2025
The abuse came to light when the boy fell ill due to injuries and was admitted to a hospital, where doctors discovered the cause.
#JUSTIN || மாணவனுக்கு பாலியல் சீண்டல் – ஆசிரியர் கைது
சென்னை அசோக்நகரில் உள்ள தனியார் பள்ளியில் 9ஆம் வகுப்பு படிக்கும் மாணவனுக்கு பாலியல் தொல்லை
தனியார் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர் சுதாகரை கைது செய்தது காவல்துறை
போக்சோ சட்டத்தின் கீழ் ஆசிரியர் சுதாகர் கைது
ஆசிரியரை கைது செய்யக் கோரி… pic.twitter.com/72zc6PBpdh
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) February 12, 2025
Even boys are not safe in schools either. In Krishnagiri, a class teacher chased an eighth-grade boy and abused him. Parents held a protest and demanded action against the teacher, who has now been booked under the POCSO Act.
https://twitter.com/PhoenixAdmk/status/1890319211177594960
In another incident, two 11th-grade students of a government school were arrested on February 12 for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl from class 7 in Attur, Salem district. The incident occurred on 22 January.
#JUSTIN | மாணவிக்கு பாலியல் தொல்லை: பள்ளி மாணவர்கள் மீது வழக்குப்பதிவு#Salem | #Harassment | #GovtSchool pic.twitter.com/2RqR1CBJro
— PttvOnlinenews (@PttvNewsX) February 12, 2025
The school headmaster, who concealed the incident, has now been arrested after the parents reported it to the district child welfare and top police officials.
#JUSTIN | மாணவியின் பாலியல் புகார்: தகவலை மறைத்த HM கைது!#Salem | #School | #sexualharassment | #Arrest pic.twitter.com/3s0KRLh9YA
— PttvOnlinenews (@PttvNewsX) February 14, 2025
The students were held under the POCSO Act, and a search is ongoing for another student named by the victim.
In Thoothukudi district, Michael Boarding Hostel cook Sureshkumar (47) was arrested for sexually abusing six Scheduled Tribe (ST) girl students residing in the hostel. The hostel management failed to take action, leading to a complaint being lodged at the all-women police station.
Seven college students were arrested under POCSO charges for the alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl in Coimbatore district.
Earlier, a mathematics teacher at a government higher secondary school in Dharmapuri and a 52-year-old teacher at a government primary school in Namakkal were arrested for sexually harassing female students.
தமிழ் நாட்ட நாசம் பண்ணிட்டானுங்களே💔💔
திமுகவ கூப்புக்கு அனுப்பல இது நாளைக்கு உங்க குழந்தைகளுக்கும் நடக்கும். pic.twitter.com/QJZTiZN8bS
— plip plip 2.0 (@samooganidhi) February 13, 2025
A physical education teacher, Adaikkalam (44), was arrested for sexually torturing girl students studying in classes 6–10 at a government school in Annavasal, Pudukottai district.
In Thirupattur, a DMK functionary was arrested under the POCSO Act for sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl.
திருப்பத்தூரில் 14 வயது சிறுமிக்கு பாலியல் தொல்லை அளித்த திமுக வார்டு உறுப்பினர் கைது.
சூப்பர் சார் @mkstalin pic.twitter.com/PaClLyvJUC
— KNR Sivaraj (@knrsivaraj80) February 13, 2025
Chennai police arrested a man on 11 February for sexually harassing his stepdaughter. According to the victim’s mother, her second husband had abused her daughter multiple times when she was not at home. The child was born in 2011 from her first marriage. After leaving her first husband, she married the accused.
Velu (55), a lab technician at a government medical college in Salem, has been suspended for sexually harassing medical students. Action was taken following a Visakha Committee inquiry.
Similar kinds of cases are coming to light, ranging from lower-ranking police constables to top-level IPS officers. Recently, IPS officer D. Magesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic North) in Chennai, was suspended after two female traffic police constables lodged a sexual harassment complaint with the DGP. However, his wife alleged, “My husband is a kind-hearted man who has helped many people. When a woman constable sought help due to her poor background, he provided her with gold, clothes, gifts and IPC tickets. He also arranged an interior decorator for her new home. She later demanded a lump sum payment in lakhs, which he refused.”
https://twitter.com/PhoenixAdmk/status/1889990558174892188
Another woman constable has also reportedly filed a complaint against him. A Visakha Committee inquiry, led by Civil Supplies CID DGP Seema Agarwal, confirmed the allegations. DGP Shankar Jiwal is consulting on registering a case and taking further legal action.
At a meeting organised to pay floral tributes to the victims of the 1998 serial bomb blasts in Coimbatore on 14 February, Tamil Nadu BJP chief K. Annamalai said, “Many sexual assaults are being reported in educational institutions and other places. The DMK government has failed to safeguard the people. The rulers will be thrown out in the 2026 assembly elections. If people vote for the BJP, we will ensure their safety.”
In another post, Annamalai posted on X: “The schools of Tamil Nadu, which are supposed to shape future generations, are in a pathetic state. The rising incidence of sexual crimes against girls is a telling indictment of the government’s apathy towards school education. When will the School Education Minister take his responsibilities seriously and implement concrete measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our children?”
சேலம் மாவட்டம், ஆத்துார் அருகே உள்ள அரசுப் பள்ளியில், கடந்த ஜனவரி மாதம் 22 அன்று, ஏழாம் வகுப்பு மாணவி, அந்தப் பள்ளி மாணவர்களாலேயே பாலியல் வன்முறைக்கு உள்ளாக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறார். இது குறித்து வெளியில் தெரியாமல் இருக்க, அந்தப் பள்ளியின் பெற்றோர் ஆசிரியர் கழகத் தலைவராக இருக்கும்,…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 13, 2025
In another tweet, he stated: “Women of all ages, from elderly women to small children, are not safe in Tamil Nadu. Anti-social elements have no fear of the police, whose hands are tied.”
தமிழகத்தில் ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் வெளியாகும் செய்திகளைப் படிக்கும்போது மனம் பதைபதைக்கிறது. பெண்களுக்கு எதிரான பாலியல் குற்றங்கள் நடைபெறாத நாளே இல்லை என்னும் அளவுக்கு, நமது சமூகம் பாதுகாப்பற்றதாக மாறி வருகிறது.
கிருஷ்ணகிரி அரசுப் பள்ளி மாணவி, மூன்று ஆசிரியர்களால் பாலியல் வன்கொடுமை…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 7, 2025
The Tamil Nadu School Education Department is set to release a report on the action taken against 225 teachers accused of sexually harassing students over the past decade. Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi stated that teachers charged with sexual offences could lose their degrees. An initial report states that 80 primary school teachers and 175 middle and higher secondary school teachers face charges of sexual assault, abuse, or harassment. Upon confirmation, all their educational certificates will be cancelled.
AIADMK has planned a protest on 18 February against the DMK government’s failure to prevent sexual assaults against women and children in Tamil Nadu.
The Tamil Nadu government is considering amending prison rules to ensure that prisoners convicted of rape or offences under the POCSO Act will no longer be eligible for premature release.
Critics point out that police powers are constrained due to the involvement of numerous ‘Sirs’ – a term that emerged after the Anna University campus sexual assault case, referring to politically powerful men with high-level connections. In most cases, the accused are allegedly from the DMK and its allied parties. Their involvement is apparent not only in sexual assault and harassment cases but also in drug peddling, abductions, murders and other crimes.
A senior police official once confided, “We have families to support. If we take action, we receive calls detailing which schools our children attend and our wives’ daily routines, threatening us to back off while flaunting their political connections. If we proceed, we face either transfer to remote areas, demotion to insignificant posts, or false charges of corruption and sexual harassment. We are forced to toe their line.”
A recent example illustrates this pattern: a senior ADGP woman IPS officer’s chamber was set ablaze for exposing irregularities in Sub-Inspector recruitment. All printed and electronic documents were destroyed in the fire, after which the government proceeded with its previously prepared report.
