MP: Students in missionary school allege sexual harassment, principal arrested

Dindori superintendent of police (SP) Sanjay Singh said that they have arrested the principal while police are trying to nab others

Published on: Mar 5, 2023, 16:36:53 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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A missionary school principal was arrested after a first information report (FIR) was filed against the principal and three others for allegedly sexually harassing eight girl students in a hostel in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district, police on Sunday.

While school principal Nan Singh was arrested, Khemchand, a teacher in the school, hostel caretaker Fathey Sunny and a woman caretaker are absconding, police said.

A case was registered at the Dindori women’s police station under Protection of Children Sexual Offence (POCSO) against the four following a complaint from the Child Welfare Committee State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) who inspected the hostel where 600 students are residing.

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SCPCR member Omkar Singh said, “When we visited the hostel, which is located in a forest, we found the students in very bad condition. During the discussion, eight girl students from classes 6 to 12 informed that the principal and the teacher used to touch their body parts by calling them alone in the classroom.”

He added, “The girls were crying and said this was going on for the past many years. Some boys also hinted towards harassment with them, but they didn’t reveal much.”

He said the students were sent for counselling and things will be revealed as the investigation proceeds.

CWC Dindori chairperson Dhanya Kumari Vaish said students also informed that the principal and caretaker allegedly used to beat them with the canes and give them stale food.

“The girl students were very scared. After counselling for hours, the girl students informed that the principal and school teachers used to do obscene acts. More revelation will be done soon after counselling,” Vaish said.

Dindori superintendent of police (SP) Sanjay Singh said that they have arrested the principal while police are trying to nab others.

“Police will register the statement of every student of the school,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More