A warden at a government-run shelter for boys in Chennai’s Royapuram was arrested and suspended after three minor inmates allegedly reported that he sexually harassed them and forced them to witness a sexual act, according to police and the Social Welfare Department.
The accused, identified as Kumarasan, 30, was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act after the complaint was forwarded to the Royapuram All Women Police Station. He was produced before a magistrate and granted bail, according to the report by DT Next.
Police said the matter came to light on October 17, when the children informed their parents about the alleged incident. The parents allegedly confronted and manhandled the warden on October 18, after which the Social Welfare Department was alerted and a formal complaint was filed.
The complaint was initially received by the Kasimedu police before being transferred to the Royapuram All Women Police Station for further action. The police case concerns allegations involving three boys housed at the government facility.
The Social Welfare Department has suspended Kumarasan and initiated departmental proceedings. The suspension is separate from the criminal case registered under the Pocso Act and does not determine the outcome of the allegations, which remain subject to the legal process.
Child welfare authorities have also begun a separate inquiry to establish whether any other staff members knew about the alleged conduct and failed to report it. The inquiry places the conduct of the shelter’s wider supervisory system under examination, beyond the allegations against the arrested warden.
Government-run shelters for children carry responsibility for the safety and care of minors placed in institutional custody. In this case, the police investigation, departmental proceedings and child welfare inquiry will proceed through separate channels. The authorities have not disclosed further details about the children, in keeping with protections for minors involved in Pocso cases.
The immediate next steps are the continuation of the police case, the departmental proceedings against the suspended warden and the child welfare inquiry into whether other staff were aware of the alleged incident or failed to report it.
