Kerala school teacher arrested on charges of molesting 26 minors, 21 POCSO cases filed

A school teacher from Kerala’s Kannur district was arrested on charges of molesting 26 minor girls of a school. The accused identified as Faisal was a Malappuram native Upper Primary teacher, said Police. 

Police registered 21 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences  (POCSO) cases against the teacher on the basis of statements from girls students of the Kerala school during their regular counseling sessions. 

Molestation after COVID-19 break

The harassment, according to reports, occurred when the school reopened after the Covid period. The school administration subsequently informed Child Line about the incident following which the arrest took place. 

The incident came out during a regular counselling session at the school. The students narrated their traumatic experiences to the counsellor who later alerted the police. The cases were registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Police said they will investigate whether there are any lapses from the part of school authorities in alerting police on time.

The parents of the students are worried as more and more instances came out. 

Last year's instances 

KV Sasikumar, a CPI(M) councillor and teacher at a Government-aided ladies higher secondary school, was the subject of a FIR filed by Malappuram police last year for assaulting numerous students over the course of several decades.