Salem: A 49-year-old mathematics teacher was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act for allegedly sexually harassing 17 schoolgirls at a government middle school near Sangagiri, following a complaint lodged by the headmistress, police said.

The accused, Balasubramaniam, who has been serving for over 12 years as a teacher for Classes 6 to 8 at the Panchayat Union Middle School in Kaveripatti, was taken into custody after multiple complaints from students surfaced.

The issue came to light on April 7 when parents confronted the teacher over alleged inappropriate behaviour with their children.

An internal inquiry by headmistress Arasi revealed that students from Classes 6, 7 and 8 accused the teacher of repeated sexual misconduct over the past six months.

The students also alleged that he threatened them using superstition, warning of harm to their families if they disclosed the abuse, which kept them silent.

Following the inquiry, school authorities alerted higher officials and Childline 1098 before filing a formal complaint at the All Women Police Station in Sangagiri. Police subsequently registered a case and arrested the accused on Thursday. Further investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss condemned the incident, alleging that government schools have become unsafe for children. Citing official data, he claimed that POCSO cases in Tamil Nadu rose from 3,057 in 2020 to around 7,000 in 2025-an increase of about 129%. He also stated that crimes against women have remained high, with over 44,000 cases reported in the last five years, averaging about 25 offences per day.

He further alleged that despite prior accusations against the teacher, no effective action had been taken, and criticised the DMK government for failing to ensure adequate safety for women and children.