Doctor arrested for sexually assaulting girl students of government school near Coimbatore

The Coimbatore District Police have arrested a doctor, who worked for the mobile medical services of the Isha Foundation in Coimbatore district, on charges of sexually assaulting more than five girl students of a government school during a medical camp. The police said that S. Saravanamoorthy, 28, who hails from Tirupattur district, was arrested based on a complaint lodged by the headmistress of the school.

According to the police, the accused had been working with the outreach mobile medical services offered by the foundation in rural areas of Coimbatore district.

The alleged sexual assault came to light when authorities of the government school held a meeting for students from Classes VI to X on Wednesday. The meeting was organised in the wake of the video conferencing conducted by Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam with bureaucrats and top officials in Coimbatore district on September 2 to address issues of sexual harassment and safety in educational institutions. The school authorities asked the students to disclose if they had undergone any sort of sexual harassment on the campus or outside.

The police said that more than five students told the headmistress that Dr. Saravanamoorthy sexually assaulted them in a medical camp held at the school. They alleged that the doctor did not use a stethoscope and touched them with bad intentions.

The school authorities informed the complaints of the students to the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which held an inquiry and alerted the police.

A police officer said that a case was registered against the doctor at the All Women Police Station, Perur, on Thursday for offences under Sections 9 (e) (aggravated sexual assault – whoever being on the management or staff of a hospital, whether Government or private, commits sexual assault on a child in that hospital) read with 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The doctor was arrested late on Thursday. He was produced before a court on Friday and was sent to judicial remand.

A statement from Isha Foundation said, “It has been brought to our notice that a case has been registered against an employee, who is a doctor with our outreach mobile medical services in the rural areas of Coimbatore. Isha holds a zero tolerance policy for any crimes against women and children. We are cooperating with the ongoing police investigation and will take necessary actions in accordance with the legal protocols.”