Odisha: Five school teachers held for raping a minor

Kendrapara: Five teachers of a private school have been arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in Odisha's Kendrapara district, police said. The arrests were made on Saturday after the father of the Class-7 student and the district child welfare committee lodged separate complaints at the Rajkanika police station, alleging that the accused teachers had raped the minor, a senior officer said.

The parents of the student approached the district child welfare committee after their daughter accused the teachers of abusing her sexually for a long period, he said. The committee initially investigated the allegation and brought the matter to the police, the officer said.

"A complaint was lodged on February 18. After a 48-hour-long investigation, we referred the case to the police for legal action," child welfare committee member Swagatika Patra said. The panel also directed the district education officer to carry out a separate investigation into the allegation, she said.

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"The accused teachers were arrested on the basis of a preliminary investigation. Further probe is underway," Rajkanika police station inspector-in-charge Sanjay Mallick said. Meanwhile, opposition BJD submitted a memorandum to the Kendrapara SP and demanded stringent punishment for the culprits.