No evidence against teacher, say police

Delhi Police informs the state govt that no incriminating proof has been found against the sacked schoolteacher.

The Delhi Police investigating a fake TV sting operation on Tuesday informed the state government that no evidence was found against a government schoolteacher sacked after the report alleged she was forcing her students into prostitution and pornography.

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"We have sent a report to the state government mentioning that no incriminating evidence was recovered against Uma Khurana," Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

However, Delhi's Education Director Vijay Kumar said his department had not received any report from the police, clearing Khurana.

"The education minister will take a decision on reinstating Uma Khurana. I am sure he will take a decision after verifying the report," Kumar told IANS.

Khurana was sacked immediately after she was arrested on the charges of immoral trafficking last month.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police's Crime branch officials jointly interrogated Khurana and Prakash Singh, a reporter with private news channel Live India who carried out the "sting operation" and has now been sent to two days' police custody by a city court.

"They were questioned in detail and were asked to provide all information concerning them as well businessman Virender Arora, with whom Khurana had a financial dispute. They were also questioned about Rashmi Singh," the official told IANS. Rashmi Singh was arrested last week for posing as a victim of the alleged prostitution racket.

The 'expose' last month purportedly showed Khurana, the 41-year-old mathematics teacher at the Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya at Asaf Ali Road in central Delhi, forcing many of her girl students into prostitution and pornography.

Following the telecast a mob attacked the school and manhandled the teacher, who was dismissed by the Delhi government September 1. She was arrested the next day.

A week later, it was discovered that the operation was a hoax as the woman shown as the victim of the Khurana-run prostitution racket was, in fact, not a student but an aspiring journalist - Rashmi Singh.

Prakash, who carried out the 'sting operation', was arrested and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to cheating and criminal conspiracy.