Three teachers at a government school in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly raping a 13-year-old student on school premises, The Hindu reported.

The alleged abuse came to light on Monday when the headmistress visited the girl’s home to inquire about her prolonged absence from school, The Times of India reported.

The girl was medically examined and a police complaint was filed against the three men by the victim’s mother, the headmistress and a school teacher.

The assailants – aged 57, 48, and 37 – were subsequently arrested.

The Times of India reported that the student was first raped by one of the teachers. When the others found out, the three of them gangraped her, the newspaper reported quoting unidentified police officials.

“Charges under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act have been filed against all three teachers”, Krishnagiri Superintendent of Police P Thangadurai said. “They have also been suspended from service.”

The three teachers have denied the charges, the district’s Chief Education Officer A Muniraj was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Krishnagiri District Collector C Dinesh Kumar dismissed rumours that the student had been impregnated and required an abortion. He added that she was receiving psychological counselling.

The incident sparked protests in the area, with residents and the girl’s relatives demanding action against the teachers. On Wednesday, the police were called to intervene when an angry crowd blockaded a road outside the school, The Indian Express reported.

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami criticised the state’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam over the incident.

“When I flagged the lack of safety for students in government schools and colleges, DMK Ministers said I was causing panic,” Palaniswami said in a social media post in Tamil. “What are they going to say now?”

“The Stalin-model Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government should bow its head in shame for pushing Tamil Nadu to a point where women are not safe anywhere,” the former chief minister added.

Bharatiya Janata Party state chief K Annamalai said: “The fact that the teachers themselves sexually assaulted the student shows that we, as a society, have failed miserably. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government has completely failed to ensure the basic safety of our children, with the government institutions that control them being paralyzed.”