Two held for sexually abusing girl leading to her suicide

COIMBATORE: Months after a 17-year-old girl studying Class 12 in a Corporation Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore committed suicide, the city police on Thursday arrested two persons, including a 70-year-old man for sexually assaulting her.

She ended her life by hanging at her house on November 11 triggering a series of protests by political outfits demanding impartial action against the offenders.

The girl, who moved to a corporation school from a private school, had accused Physics teacher K Mithun Chakravarthi of sexually assaulting her, while she was studying in Class 11 in the private school. She also accused few others of misbehaving with her in the suicide note recovered by police.

Police then arrested Mithun Chakravarthi and school principal Meera Jackson for failing to act upon the complaint of the victim. In a further development in the case, the police arrested Sultan, 70, who runs a vessel shop and Manoraj (58), for sexually abusing the girl.

As both the parents of the victim were working, they used to leave her in the care of their neighbour Sultan. He along with Manoraj, who used to visit his house, had sexually assaulted her.

Police arrested the duo under various IPC sections, including 354 for assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 305 for abetment of suicide of child and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso). Further inquiries are on.