M.Sulfath, social activist and teacher
of Government Higher Secondary School, Cheruthazham, Kunnumbram, Kannur District, has
written to Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan drawing attention to the
campaign against her by some persons belonging to the CPI-M and seeking an end to harassment.
Although party men are using her support to the Kiss of Love campaign as the pretext for the campaign against her, the real reason is the support she gave to the family of a Dalit student who was allegedly the victim of sexual harassment by a teacher.
The following is the text of her
letter:
Dear Comrade,
I have been a teacher for the past
27 years. Presently I am working in the GHSS, Cheruthazham,
Kannur. l have been involved in
struggles for women's rights and against sexual assaults on women for the past three
decades. I work in association with Anweshi,, Kozhikode, and the
women's magazine 'Sanghatitha’, edited
by the famous Malayalam writer Sara Joseph.
I am writlng this letter to bring
to your notice, the organised attempts by some people including local CPM leaders
to malign me and spread scandals against me in the school and outside, in connection
with a sexual assault case that occurred in the school recently. A dalit girl studying
in 9th standard was asked into the staff room under the pretext of giving a notebook
after the school hours and was sexually abused by Mr. A.Anilkumar, a teacher according
to a written complaint submitted to the school on 17 09.2014 by the girl's guardians;
but what followed from the part of
the School authorities was an attempt
to slight the complaint and to save the offending teacher somehow. After the girl's
relatives came to the school with their complaint, the president of the school's
Parent-Teacher Association, who is also the secretary of CPI-M Cheruthazham East
local committee, came to the school. The school authorities took the decision that
it was enough to transfer the concerned teacher from that school and that no other
action was necessary against him. I had requested the Headmaster to view the sexual
abuse by Mr. A Anilkumar, the teacher seriously,
especially as there had been a precedent of the very same person having shown sexual
misconduct against a female colleague in the same school earlier, as was reported
in a staff council meeting. I also requested him to contact and seek advice from
Child Welfare Committee or Childline, and to initiate legal proceedings against
the offender.
Instead of following the required
legal procedure, what the Headmaster and a few of the staff members did was to convene
a staff meeting on the afternoon of 17.09.2014, allowing even the alleged
offender to participate in that meeting. When I expressed my dissent and
emphasised the need to support the victim, the meeting chose to accuse me of trying
to break the unity among the staff and to disrupt the collective decision taken
by the teachers. As it was clear that the school authorities did not inform the
police of the complaint submitted by the girl's relatives, I had helped the guardians
of the girl to contact Child Welfare Committee. The Childline enquiry team came
to the girl's house and then to the school on 18.9.2O14. They reported the
matter to the police by noon .The police registered a case on the same day.
However, the accused teacher
influenced the DDE (District Director of Education), Kannur, and managed to get
a transfer on the same day, that is 18.9.2014. The DDE allowed his request for transfer
before taking up any enquiry into the issue. He came to the GHSS, Cheruthazham,
obtained his relieving order, and joined in GHSS Vayakkara on the same day, and
immediately proceeded on leave and absconded.
I had informed Smt. P K Sreemathy
teacher, honourable MP, of the incidents at the school on the night of 17 9 2014
itself. However, neither the party nor its mass organisations took any initiative
for a proper response or protest. The Cheruthazham panchayat president Com. C M
Venugopal visited the girl's house and promised support. There was no other move
by the party against the culprits.
In the PTA executive committee and
general body meetings, instead of pursuing the course of justice for the girl victim,
the headmaster and a section of the teachers tried to raise allegations against
me that I was spoiling the reputation of the school and spreading disgraceful news
in the media. In the PTA executive committee meeting, consisting of many local
leaders of the CPI-M also, one of the leaders even threw up a challenge against
me: Do you dare to get the teacher arrested? 1n the PTA general body meeting convened
later, the HM, senior Assistant and other leading members made the evil move to
pass a resolution authorising action against me. It was defeated only because
of the support of a section of mothers who knew the truth of the matter.
The HM was so revengeful that I was
denied casual leave, when I applied for it as my stomach was upset.
Mentally oppressed and ostracised
by many of my colleagues there, I have entered on leave.
Another teacher has been appointed
in my place to avoid hardship to students. The school staff, consisting of a majority
of members belonging to KSTA, an organisation affiliated to the left, and a section
of the parent community are spreading wild rumours against me now. As the move
against me was defeated in the PTA meeting the Development Council has convened
another meeting of so-called "local people” and taken a decision that I would
not be allowed even to enter the school. Though I am on leave, when I reached the
school on 6.11.2014 to receive my salary, they used a section of the students to
conduct a demonstration against me, to shower abuses against me and to detain me
at the school gate. I was told that a few teachers including leaders of KSTA also
held a similar demonstration earlier. One of the allegations was that I was responsible
for dragging the HM also into the legal proceedings The Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences Act 2012 says the HM is responsible for communicating the offence
to the police. It is actually as per this provision that the HM was implicated for
his failure to do his duty. I am absolutely innocent about the matter.
What is quite surprising is the
fact that in this case at Cheruthazham, the CPI-M and its mass
organisations which used to
support the victims of sexual abuse are spreading rumours against the offended child
and her mother just because I happened to help this unfortunate victim of sexual
assault in getting legal assistance, I am now being singled out and persecuted through
rumours and obscene posters in the school and its premises by anonymous entities
and so I humbly request you to help the girl who is the victim of sexual assault
and to support me for having assisted her in seeking remedy. I would also request
you to take severe action against those who are spreading malicious propaganda
against me and trying to prevent my access to my school.
Once again I request you to intervene
in order to create an atmosphere that will enable me to continue in the same school
without further harassment.
Yours truly,
M.Sulfath
Cheruthazham
9.11.2014
