Coimbatore Rape Victim's Suicide Amplifies Sexual Assault Victims' Cry For Justice

India ranked 148 out of 170 countries in the 'Women, Peace And Security Index 2021'. Women's safety at schools, colleges, workplaces, and social circles has been a matter of grave concern for India. The suicide of a class 12 student in Coimbatore recently has amplified the call for a robust justice system for the victims of sexual harassment.

The victim's parents alleged that she was under tremendous distress following the sexual abuse and regular harassment at the hands of her school teacher named Mithun Chakravarthy at the well-known Chinmaya Vidyalaya School in Coimbatore.

Principal Told The Girl Not To Inform Parents

The incident of assault and harassment against the victim had reportedly been going on for six months. The News Minute reported her mother as saying that the victim had asked her parents to change her school but had not given a reason. Following the continuous requests of the girl, the parents had shifted her to a different school in the city. The mother has also alleged that the victim had also complained to the school principal. The principal had further told the girl not to inform her parents about the incident. The student was advised to brush off the assault incident in the counselling session organised by the school.

A close friend of the victim mentioned that the victim had befriended Chakravarthy over chats on the phone, and he had also visited her home once. "He sexually assaulted her once in school and harassed her many times. His wife teaches in the same school, she and the principal knew about all this, but they did nothing," the victim's friend added.

Moreover, the school had questioned the girl as to why she had allowed him to visit her house and had mentioned that she was at fault too. The accused had left the school in September citing medical reasons.

Protests Outside Collectorate Office

All India Democratic Association (AIDA), the Student's Federation of India, Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, and Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) staged protests against the school and the teacher outside Coimbatore Collectorate's Office. Ramakrishnan, the General Secretary of TPDK, said, "The school did not take action against the teacher even though they knew that she was facing sexual abuse for six months. Now she has died. We demand that the teacher be arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The police and the district administration must take action against the school."

Earlier this year, a spate of sexual misconduct charges rocked Chennai's schools.

Conviction Rate Only 35%

According to data from the National Records Crime Branch (NCRB), rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India. The All-India average of rape cases in the country stands at a mere 35 per cent. Sexual victims often wait for years to get justice. The Coimbatore rape victim's suicide has magnified the call for quick progression in cases of high sensitivity must be addressed since almost half of the Indian population is that of females.

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