TIRUCHY: With a teacher arrested under the Pocso Act for sexually abusing a Class 5 student on Sunday in Thanjavur and a case registered under abetment charges against the school headmistress, the parents and the public resorted to a roadblock protest on Monday, demanding that the case against the headmistress be dropped, claiming that she was innocent.

The arrested, Baskar (53), a resident of Karambayam in Thanjavur and a teacher at Ettupulikadi Panchayat Union Middle School, had reportedly attempted to sexually abuse A Class 5 girl while she was reading out the lesson louder to the class. The girl later passed on the information to her parents, and soon her mother met with the school headmistress, Vijaya and complained about the incident. The mother had demanded action against the teacher, but the headmistress failed to initiate action against Baskar.

Subsequently, the mother filed a complaint with the Pattukkottai All Women police station, who registered a case under the Pocso Act against the teacher and abetment charges against the headmistress. On Sunday, the police arrested the teacher Baskar.

Against such a backdrop, on Monday, residents from Ettupulikadu and other students, along with their parents, blocked vehicle movements on the Pattukkottai-Thanjavur main road, demanding the withdrawal of the case against the headmistress, claiming that she was innocent.

On information, DSP Ravichandran, along with a police team, rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesting members. Later, the police assured a proper inquiry, after which the agitators dispersed from the spot.