Govt school teacher arrested for allegedly sexually harassing 24 students in Himachal's Sirmaur

Shimla/Nahan (HP): A teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing 24 girl students at a government school in Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Monday. The mathematics teacher has been remanded in police custody for three days and suspended from service, they said. The accused was arrested after the students of classes VIII to X complained to the school principal about the harassment.

The school authorities informed the police which took him into custody. The accused was produced in a local court on Sunday evening and remanded to three days police custody. Acting swiftly, the education department has placed the accused trained graduate teacher (TGT) under suspension with immediate effect. Terming it a "serious and sensitive" issue, the director of School Education has asked the deputy director of Elementary Education, Sirmaur, to conduct a preliminary inquiry into this matter immediately.

In a letter, the director asked him to visit the school personally, record the version of the students, teachers and other staff present in the school, and submit a report to his office within a week. Meanwhile, an outfit -- Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Janvadi Samiti -- took out a protest march on Monday, alleging rising incidents of sexual assaults on school girls by teachers in the district.

Harassment cases on the rise

It submitted a memorandum to the state government through the deputy commissioner of Sirmour demanding quick and strict action against such offenders. "Rajgarh is not the lone incident. Three such incidents have already come up in recent months in the district, including one in Paonta Sahib," said the district president of the Samiti, Santosh Kapoor, and demanded quick and strict action against teachers involved in such heinous crimes.

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The 24 students gave a written complaint to the principal on Friday, alleging they were touched inappropriately by the teacher. The complaint was then forwarded to the school's anti-sexual harassment committee, the school authorities said. On Saturday, parents of the students were called for a meeting and it was found that most of them were unaware of the harassment faced by their children, they said.

The teacher has been arrested. A case has been registered against him under Section 75 (sexual harassment) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police sources said.