Angry parents demonstrated in front of Welland Gouldsmith School on Tuesday to protest the alleged molestation of a student by a Group D employee inside a toilet during school hours.

The school authorities have denied the charge.

“A student of Class VI was molested inside a school toilet last week but the authorities have not taken any action against the employee,” said a parent who was in the group of 100 that protested in front of the BB Ganguly Street school.

In 2005, the school had campaigned for the execution of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, the liftman-cum-caretaker of a highrise in south Calcutta, who had raped and murdered Hetal Parekh, a student of the school, in 1991. Dhananjoy was hanged in August 2005.

According to the Welland Gouldsmith School Guardians’ Forum, a similar incident occurred on July 25 when a guard had molested a student of Lower Nursery.

After the parents protested against the “inaction” and lodged a complaint with Hare Street police station, the guard was withdrawn from service.

Members of the guardians’ forum said they had tried to lodge a complaint with the police this time, too, but the cops refused to accept it.

The forum said in its complaint that the victim had reported the incident to her class teacher, who took her to the vice-principal.

“But when the parents of the girl approached the vice-principal, she told them it was difficult for the authorities to monitor all activities on the school premises. The authorities also threatened to take action against the girl if the parents brought the matter out in the open,” said Mohammed Aamiruzzaman, the joint secretary of the forum.

Gilian Rosemary Hart, the principal of Welland Gouldsmith, rubbished the allegation. “We ensure adequate protection to each and every girl during school hours. The allegation is baseless. We are pained at the way a small section of parents is trying to tarnish the reputation of our school.”

On Tuesday, the parents assembled in front of the school around 8.30am and demanded that the school replace all male sweepers with females and ensure adequate cleanliness of the school toilets.

“I have discussed the demands with the guardians. It is not possible for us to remove all the male sweepers,” said Hart.

The parents, however, said: “We have only one demand. The authorities should immediately replace the male Group D employees with females. The demand is not unjust as the safety of the students is at stake,” said Aamiruzzaman.

“We do not feel safe inside the school. Most toilets do not even have a latch. Male Group-D employees roam in the corridors. We have complained to our teachers but nothing has been done,” said a student of Class IX.

According to Hart, the parents also demanded that the duration of the parent-teacher meeting be shortened. The principal turned it down.