E-Paper
Ludhiana government school teacher booked for molesting Class 4 student
The FIR was lodged 23 days after the victim’s parents, residents of Ludhiana’s Hayatpur village, and Panchayat village first flagged the issue
In yet another case of a sexual abuse on a school campus, police on Friday booked an elementary teacher trainer (ETT) deputed at government primary school in Hayatpur village for molesting a Class 4 student.
The FIR was lodged 23 days after the parents and Panchayat village first flagged the issue. The accused hails from Kotkapura in Faridkot.
The victim’s father, in his statement, said the family uncovered the incident after noticing a change in behaviour of the eight-year-old victim — who suddenly began resisting going to school. The victim had also been acting aloof and would not step out of her room much.
Upon being confronted about the same by her mother, the victim, on September 13 said the accused school teacher had been molesting her for the past several days, would often touch her inappropriately and also threatened to beat her if she spoke of her ordeal.
The complainant said they had made a complaint with the village panchayat, following which villagers gathered at the school and thrashed the teacher before handing him over to the police. The accused confessed his crime.
Sub-inspector Kulbir Singh, station house officer (SHO) at the Koomkalan police station said the victim’s parents had not recorded their statements initially. Police, hovever, received a complaint through the education department, following which an FIR under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code and section 10 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The accused is yet to be arrested.
Prior school horrors
June 11: A physical training instructor at a government school in Swaddi Kalan was booked for sending inappropriate messages to the students, forcing them to talk to him over phone at odd hours.
On April 8: A Government teacher had raped a Class 12 student for months at various city hotels. The victim wrote a letter to the police chief, narrating her ordeal
On April 8: A government teacher had harassed a Class 10 student during the first term examination writing ‘call me’ on a question paper.
