A private school headmaster in Cuddalore was publicly humiliated by villagers who paraded him semi-nude after a photograph allegedly showed him in an inappropriate relationship with a former student went viral on social media. The headmaster was forced to walk with his underwear after a purported photograph of him kissing a former student of the school was found online by the villagers.
The headmaster, A. Edilbert Felix Arokiyaraj, from Thiruppathiripuliyur, served as the principal of a school near Vriddachalam, managed by a trust of government school teachers. Controversy arose when villagers found a photograph online that purportedly depicted Felix kissing a former student, who had graduated from the school the previous year. The student, now pursuing a diploma in nursing, was a minor at the time of taking the picture, according to a report on The New Indian Express.
When the villagers saw the photograph, they intercepted Felix as he was leaving the school on Wednesday. They reportedly assaulted him, stripped him down to his underwear and paraded him through the streets back to the school.
The Vriddachalam police intervened after receiving reports of the incident and rescued Felix from the mob, taking him into custody. Felix was later arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, given the girl’s minor status. He was brought before a magistrate in Vriddachalam and has since been remanded to Cuddalore Central Prison.
However, the police have not registered any cases against the villagers involved in the public humiliation of Felix, stating that they have not received any formal complaints from him regarding the assault. A senior police official mentioned that action would be considered if a complaint is filed, as per the report.
Amid the unfolding drama, a video has emerged of the girl defending Felix, claiming that their "relationship was consensual".
Felix, who is married and has a child, now faces severe legal consequences as well as social stigma. The villagers, however, continue to demand further action against both Felix and the school management, accusing them of negligence.