Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A 43-year-old teacher from a Parbhani school was recently arrested more than six months after the Nirbhaya squad of the Parbhani police flagged allegations of sexual harassment involving girl students in the fourth and fifth grades.
The accused has been charged under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), and 354C (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. He is currently in judicial custody.
According to Parbhani Superintendent of Police Ravindrasingh Pardeshi, the matter first came to light in February when a Nirbhaya squad officer had an informal conversation with some women from a police colony. During this interaction, the officer was informed about the teacher’s “questionable behavior” towards female students. On February 23, the officer brought the issue to the attention of the school principal, who then established a committee comprising four female teachers to investigate the allegations.
The committee’s findings revealed that several girl students reported instances of the teacher inappropriately touching them, making lewd comments, and even stalking them, Pardeshi said. The extent of the teacher’s misconduct shocked senior police officers who reviewed the committee’s report.
On the night of August 24, the school principal filed a formal complaint at the Mondha police station. Within 24 hours of the complaint being lodged, an FIR was registered, and the teacher was arrested. The school principal has not responded to calls for comment.
When questioned about the delay in taking action despite being aware of the allegations for months, a senior police officer explained that the lack of a formal complainant or a direct account from an affected student initially hindered the registration of an FIR. The officer also noted that proceeding with an FIR without such testimony could have negatively impacted the school’s reputation.
