Sexual harassment of girl students: Principal of Haryana school sent to two-day police remand

Deputy superintendent of police Amit Kumar Bhatia, who heads a five-member Special Investigation Team probing the case, said that the accused principal was produced before a court in Haryana’s Narwana, which sent him to two-day police remand.

A government school principal accused of sexually harassing over 60 girl students was produced before a court in Jind’s Narwana on Sunday that sent him to two-day police remand.

A government school principal accused of sexually harassing over 60 girl students was produced before a court in Jind’s Narwana on Sunday that sent him to two-day police remand. (Representational image)

Deputy superintendent of police Amit Kumar Bhatia, who heads a five-member Special Investigation Team probing the case, said that the accused teacher was produced before a court in Narwana, which sent him to two-day police remand.

“During remand, we will recover his mobile phone, which was used for sending inappropriate messages to girl students. We will also try to ascertain whether anyone else was involved in this crime or not,” Bhatia added.

The Jind police had arrested the accused principal on Saturday, and he had been on the run for the last five days.

Over 60 girl students at the government school in Jind district had accused the principal of sexual harassment, the Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia had said earlier.

According to sources, Renu Bhatia is expected to reach Jind on November 14 to interrogate officials, who reportedly buried this issue and did not take action against the principal, who is “close to a politician” in Jind.

The Haryana secondary education department had suspended the principal on October 27.

The case dates back to August 31 when the girl students had written to the National Commission for Women, the President and the governor levelling serious allegations of bad touch and molestation against the school principal.

The Uchana Police in Jind had on October 30 booked the school principal under Sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.