Government doctor in Tiruchy arrested for assaulting minor students

TIRUCHY: A government doctor was arrested on Tuesday under the Pocso Act on charges of sexually abusing minor girls living in the boarding house of a government-aided school in Tiruchy. Police also arrested his mother S Grace Sagayarani (54), who is the principal of the school, for covering up the crime.

According to the police, Dr S Samson Daniel (31) of Palakkarai in Tiruchy worked as a doctor at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Anbil, near Lalgudi. He often visited the hostel attached to the government-aided primary school in the city on the pretext of checking the health of the students.

“During the checks, he allegedly misbehaved towards the girls, aged between five and ten, and touched them inappropriately. The incident came to light when one of the parents informed the child hotline ‘1098’ about it,” the police said.

For information, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Rahul Gandhi, District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) Vijayalakshmi and two social workers visited the hostel on Monday. The team spoke to 42 minor girls and boys staying at the hostel.

The students told the team that the doctor had been sexually abusing them for the past few months by inappropriately touching them during health check-ups, police said. Based on a complaint by the DCPO and DSWO, Fort All Women police arrested the doctor on Tuesday under the Pocso Act. Further investigation is underway.