For instance, dozens of students from Chennai, Chettinad Vidyashram, opened up on Instagram about instances of sexual harassment and sexist behaviors. Students from Maharishi Vidya Mandir, Sushil Hari International Residential School, Julia Rexi (Spartan Schools), Velammal Matric and a lot more opened up to influencers in Instagram. Students confessed that the school management didn’t take the necessary action when complaints were raised against the teachers.
After receiving complaints of sexual abuse, The Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TNCPCR) has summoned six schools including Sushil Hari International Residential School, Kelambakkam. Students from the school stated Siva Shankar Baba, proclaims himself a godman and called girls to his bungalow and sexually assaulted them.
An alumna said young girls were told that “previous birth’s karma will forever fade away,” if they did what he asked them to do.
TW
Sexual Abuse
Sushil hari international School, Shiva Shankar.
He calls himself God & molests young girls. Received a horrifying audio of victim too. How they were forced to indulge in watching porn, sex as group by calling himself God & girls as gopikas. @tnpoliceoffl pic.twitter.com/93J4zSM8O1
— Dhivya Marunthiah (@DhivCM) May 26, 2021
An alumna, in her complaint had mentioned that when she was in Class 9, she had seen a few of her friends and other students going to other rooms at night. “Later, one of my friends had informed me that she was sexually harassed and I couldn’t believe it at that time. A few months later, I was called to a room where the guru, Shiva Shankar Baba, asked me to strip off my clothes. When I refused, he got angry and asked me to go out of the room. This continued even when I was doing my higher studies,” the girl said in the complaint. She also claimed that many parents knew about this.
The allegations include molestation, intoxicating minors with alcohol, showing pornography to minors and even rape. Many more accounts of systematic sexual harassment and predatory behavior by him has come to light. What’s horrifying is, a student who made one of the allegations said that the school is aware of everything happening and they are misusing the position of power. The management also considers this normal and is within the ‘cult’ behavior of the community.
When called for interrogation by the Child Rights Commission, Sushil Hari International Residential School Founder Siva Shankar Baba did not show up.
