Doctor arrested for sexually abusing students at a government school near Coimbatore

The Coimbatore district police have arrested a doctor working with the Isha Foundation's mobile medical service in Coimbatore district on charges of sexually assaulting more than five girls from a government school during a medical camp. Police said S. Saravanamoorthy, 28, a native of Tirupattur district, was arrested on a complaint filed by the school's principal.

According to police, the accused had worked with the foundation's mobile medical service in rural areas of Coimbatore district.

The alleged sexual assault came to light when the government school management held a meeting for students of classes 6 to 10 on Wednesday. The meeting was organised following a video conference held by Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam with bureaucrats and top officials of Coimbatore district on September 2 to discuss issues of sexual harassment and safety in educational institutions. The school management asked the students to state whether they had faced any form of sexual harassment on campus or outside.

Police said more than five students told the school's principal that Dr Saravanamoorthy sexually abused them at a medical camp at the school. They alleged that the doctor did not use a stethoscope and touched them with malicious intent.

The school authorities forwarded the students' complaints to the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which launched an investigation and alerted the police.

A police official said a case was registered against the doctor at the All Women Police Station in Perur on Thursday for violating Section 9(e) (aggravated sexual assault – whoever is a member of the management or staff of a hospital, whether government or private, commits any act of sexual abuse of a child in that hospital) read with Section 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The doctor was arrested late Thursday evening. He was brought before the court on Friday and remanded in custody.

A statement from Isha Foundation said: “We have been informed that a case has been registered against an employee working as a doctor with our mobile medical service in rural areas of Coimbatore. Isha has a zero tolerance policy towards any crime against women and children. We are cooperating with the ongoing police investigation and will take necessary action as per law.”