Brinda raps cops for delay in arrest

MADURAI: We want Right To Education (RTE), not Right to Sexual Abuse, said Brinda Karat, CPI(M) politburo member, at Podhumbu village, near here on Saturday.

She was in the village to console the victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by the headmaster of a government school, who was still at large.

Expressing the support of her party, Brinda Karat said “All children in the country have the right to education. Because of the misbehaviour of some school heads, the children are traumatised and unable to continue their education.”� Flaying the police for their lethargy in arresting the accused, she said, “if one head escapes, it would only set a wrong notion”.

Consoling the victims, she said that it was not a stigma on the village, but a stigma on the headmaster.

“We will not spare the police who have foisted false cases against the family members of the victims and we will ensure that they are punished,” she charged.

The victims also aired the problems they face from the police and anti-social elements since the complaint was lodged against the school head Arockiasamy.� Recently, a complaint of woman harassment was lodged by the school helper against the family member of one of the victims. In the guise of questioning, the villagers said that a male police official had come to the victim’s home in the wee hours of Thursday night.

All the five girls, who lodged the complaint, were frequently intercepted by the police at school and were being intimidated.

Hearing this Brinda Karat, immediately questioned the Koodal Nagar� Inspector, who was present at the spot and he feigned ignorance. Irked by this, Brinda Karat rang up Additional Superintendent of Police Mylvaganan and asked him to send some senior official to the spot.

At that time, All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) All India Secretary U Vasuki mentioned that they had met Collector U Sagayam who had opined that the headmaster required psychiatric treatment. “He said this when we insisted the arrest of the accused”, she added.

Later, DSPs Ravichandran and Pandi visited the village and held talks with Brinda Karat.

Ravichandran assured that action would be taken against the erring police officials and added that Inspector Maria Glory would be removed from the case as she had also traumatised the victims.� Later, Brinda Karat asked both the DSPs why they could not arrest the accused.

“You come to the village at 11 pm to investigate a foisted case, but you won’t arrest the accused staying under your nose”, she pointed out.

Ravichandran assured that the accused will be arrested and announced that if at all the children were to be interrogated, it will be done with prior notice.

Reacting to this, Brinda Karat said that there was no need for investigations here as the Child Welfare Committee report had been issued reaffirming the allegations levelled against the accused.