PE teacher suspended for alleged assault on student in Villupuram

CHENNAI: Villupuram district police have clarified that the physical education teacher at Government High School in V. Agaram village has been suspended following allegations of assaulting an 11-year-old Dalit student.

According to the police, the incident came to light on March 14, 2025, when Murugan, the father of the sixth-grade student, complained to the Valavanur police station under the Vikravandi sub-division. The complaint alleged that the teacher had physically assaulted the child. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case on the same day and launched an investigation.

Subsequently, based on a report submitted by the Villupuram police, the Chief Educational Officer (CEO) conducted an inquiry, following which the accused teacher was placed under suspension.

The police also clarified that since both the victim and the accused belong to the same community, provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act were not applicable in this case. The investigation is currently ongoing.

CPM South Chennai district secretary R Velmurugan said that after a fight broke out between two students at the school, the physical education teacher struck the boy multiple times on the head with a bamboo stick while standing on a staircase. The force of the blows caused the child to lose consciousness, and he was referred to the JIPMER, Puducherry. At the JIPMER, doctors diagnosed severe nerve damage and a skull fracture, requiring immediate surgery. The child underwent a critical operation and has since recovered from life-threatening injuries, he said, seeking action against all those involved, including the PT teacher.