Bihar teacher of Tirunelveli Vedic school held under Pocso Act for sexually abusing student

TIRUNELVELI: The police arrested a teacher from Bihar under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy at a Veda Pada Salai near Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district on Thursday evening.

According to police, the accused, Durgesh Tiwari (24) of Rohtas district in Bihar, had been teaching Vedic lessons to more than eight students from Bihar at the residential school, which has been functioning in a privately owned building for the past two years.

The police said Tiwari had allegedly been sexually abusing the boys staying at the school during night hours. The matter came to light only after a 10-year-old survivor, who had been targeted repeatedly, broke down and told the owner of the building what had happened.

The owner immediately lodged a complaint with the Nanguneri All Women Police Station. The police rushed to the spot and questioned Tiwari and the survivor.

After the inquiry revealed that the boy had been continuously abused, a team led by Inspector Subbulakshmi registered a case against Tiwari under the Pocso Act.

Tiwari was medically examined at the Nanguneri Government Hospital, produced before the Tirunelveli Pocso court and remanded to prison. The women police are questioning other students to ascertain whether Tiwari had abused them too.