Kasaragod: A government-aided lower primary (ALP) school headmaster has been arrested for alleged sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl during a house-warming function in Kumbla on Sunday night.

The accused was identified as Sudheer N K, headmaster of the ALP School at Badoor in Puthige grama panchayat. He is also an active member of the CPM-affiliated Kerala School Teachers’ Association (KSTA).

He has been booked under Section 75(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 9(m) and 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for alleged assault on a child under 12, said an officer at Kumbla Police Station.

The girl, now in Class VI at another school, had previously studied at Badoor School and knew the teacher, her paternal uncle said. The family attended the function as former tenants of the house owner. The accused lives in the same neighbourhood.

Around 9.30 pm, the house owner asked the girl to take food to an ailing neighbour who could not attend the function. While returning through a dark alley, the headmaster allegedly touched her inappropriately, the uncle said.

When the girl could not be found for about 15 minutes, her mother grew concerned. "She returned with an uneasy expression and, when asked, said the headmaster ‘bad touched’ her," he said.

The family went home and immediately contacted Childline, who advised them to approach the police. "By 11.30 pm, we informed Kumbla Police. They recorded her statement around midnight and picked up the headmaster from his house at 3.30 am," the relative said.

He alleged that some teachers of his school have since defended the headmaster and that others have launched slanderous claims against the child and her family, saying they are doing it for money. "We reported it to the police immediately. We did not go to his house or create a scene. We only want to ensure no other child faces this," he said. The girl’s father works in an eatery. 

The girl’s mother said she saw the headmaster talking to the girl and her grandmother at the function. "It was a courteous meeting. There was no need for him to touch her later. My child knows the difference between good touch and bad touch," she said.

On Monday, a magistrate recorded the girl’s statement, which lasted about an hour. "No one coached her," the uncle said. Police formally arrested Sudheer after the statement. Police said Sudheer has denied the allegation and claimed he had no wrongful intention. If convicted, he would face up to five years in prison.