Pune: Teacher held again for alleged sexual harassment of minor girl student

Police booked him in this case under sections 74, 78, 79, 351 (2), 115 (2), 13 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The accused teacher had committed a similar offence in the same school in 2018. An FIR was then lodged against him under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the POCSO Act. He had been arrested in the case, stated a police press release.

“A court had also held him guilty and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment for three years in the 2018 case. He was out on bail and had appealed in the Bombay High Court against his conviction. While this case was pending in the High Court, instead of removing the accused from his job, the school authorities continued with his services. Now another girl from the same school has complained that he had been sexually harassing her for about two years. Hence, apart from the accused, we have also arrested six more persons including the school principal and trustees, for allegedly abetting the crime,” said a senior police officer who is investigating the case.

Police produced the accused persons before a court on Saturday. “The court remanded the accused PT teacher and school principal to police custody till August 29, while the other accused were granted judicial custody,” said the investigation officer of this case.

The FIR stated that the accused teacher had been harassing the minor, who is a student of Class seven, since 2022. The FIR mentioned that the accused repeatedly touched her with bad intentions and allegedly threatened to kill her if she narrated the incidents to anyone.

As per the FIR, the accused teacher molested her during the PT class and also followed her when she used to go to the washroom inside the school premises. Police said the accused teacher allegedly used to tell the minor that he would come with her inside the washroom.

Police said on August 21, 2024, when the girl had gone to the school washroom, the accused teacher allegedly waiting outside for her. When she came out, he allegedly touched her and demanded a kiss in Kannada language, the FIR mentioned. The girl narrated this incident to her class teacher, who informed the school principal.

“Instead of taking immediate action by informing the police, the school principal asked the minor to write and submit a complaint application against the teacher. The victim left at that time. But again on August 23, she went to the principal along with her class teacher to submit her complaint. Around the same time, our women cops from the Damini Squad had gone to the school for a routine visit. They came to know about the incident and then further action was initiated… Father of the victim girl filed the FIR,” the investigation officer said.

“During the probe, it was revealed that previously, the accused teacher was principal of the same school, which is a government-aided one. But he was demoted to PT teacher by the authorities for not performing his duties properly. Even after he was found guilty in a case of sexual harassment on a girl student, the school authorities did not sack him from the job. Even now, when the minor girl student approached the principal about the sexual harassment, the police should have been informed immediately. But the principal instead asked the girl to file a written complaint,” the police officer said.

Considering the serious nature of the crime and lapses at the school, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner has asked the police station officials to book the school authorities too along with the PT teacher in this case.
Police are probing whether the accused teacher has also harassed other girls in the school.