52-year-old science teacher arrested for molesting a ninth-grade student at Kurunegala school.

A 52-year-old science teacher, accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old female student studying in the ninth grade at a leading mixed school in Kurunegala, has been arrested on suspicion by the Kurunegala Headquarters Police. This suspect teacher, a father of two residing in the Malkaduwawa, Nandana Mawatha area, was taken into police custody on the 30th of last month.

After the student informed her parents about this abuse incident, which occurred last June, they complained to the school authorities. However, there are allegations that the school authorities acted in a way that protected the teacher, and subsequently, following an investigation conducted based on a complaint received by the Kurunegala Zonal Education Office, the suspect was transferred to another small school located in the Kurunegala area.

Although more than two months had passed since the incident, and authorities had not taken any legal action against the teacher, the student's father filed a complaint with the Children and Women's Bureau of the Kurunegala Headquarters Police on the 25th of last month. Following this, the police initiated investigations and subsequently arrested the suspect teacher.

Investigations have revealed that this suspect was previously accused of similarly abusing a female student while serving at another leading mixed school in Kurunegala town. At that time, since the student was over 18 years old, no legal action was taken with the parents' consent, considering her future, and it is said that he obtained a transfer to the current school after that incident came to light.

The Ministry of Education of the North Western Provincial Council has called for a report on the actions taken by the Kurunegala Zonal Education Office regarding this abuse incident. Under the instructions of Deputy Inspector General of Police Priyantha C. Pallewela, who is in charge of the Kurunegala district, and supervised by Senior Superintendent of Police Tissa Vithanage, a team including Kurunegala Headquarters Chief Police Inspector Dhamma Channaka Kobbekaduwa is conducting further investigations.