School principal arrested for sexual assault of girl students

RUPNAGAR: The principal-cum-owner of a private school in this district and two of his aides have been arrested based on the disclosure of several incidents of alleged sexual assault of girl students over the past 15 years, police said on Wednesday.

The accused have been identified as school principal Amritpal Dhiman, his friend Shiv Kumar and another aide Naresh Kumar, according to police. The matter remained under wraps for years and the accused allegedly assaulted girls with impunity. The incident came to light when one of the friends of the principal, also an accused, accidently leaked the photographs and videos of the girls allegedly made by Dhiman.

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A local leader of Bhim Army, Ashwani Kumar, approached the police last month with some of the leaked photographs, following which an FIR was registered. Police said they investigated the allegations made by the complainant and found substantial evidence against the principal. The accused had also remained 'sarpanch' of his village. Nangal Police registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the IT act.

Rupnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Viveksheel Soni said the girls kept silent for years due to social stigma but now they revealed the alleged acts of the principal. The accused used to call girls to his home for tuition, where he sexually assaulted them, said police.