A school teacher was arrested in Maharashtra's Akola district on charges of molestation six girls and showing them obscene videos, police said on Wednesday.
A case was registered on Tuesday against Pramod Manohar Sardar, a 47-year-old government school teacher, in Maharashtra's Akola district after a few girl students alleged that he had been harassing them by showing them obscene videos.
The development came amid protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls at a kindergarten school in Badlapur town in Maharashtra's Thane district.
The teacher, working at the Zilla Parishad school at Kazikhed, has been arrested after being detained for questioning.
What FIR said
As per the FIR registered at Ural police station, six girl students complained that the teacher had been showing them obscene videos for the past four months, news agency PTI reported an official as saying. Further investigation was underway, the police official added.
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The crime came to light when the girl students called the toll-free number of the Child Welfare Committee. Members of the Child Welfare Committee visited the school on Tuesday morning and spoke to some of the girls, following which the case was registered. Asha Mirge, a former member of the State Women's Commission, demanded strict action against the teacher.
{{/usCountry}}The crime came to light when the girl students called the toll-free number of the Child Welfare Committee. Members of the Child Welfare Committee visited the school on Tuesday morning and spoke to some of the girls, following which the case was registered. Asha Mirge, a former member of the State Women's Commission, demanded strict action against the teacher.
{{/usCountry}}Superintendent of police Akolka Bachchan Singh told news agency ANI that the Akola Police received a complaint of molestation of six school girls by Pramod Manohar Sardar. Police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded the statements of the victim girls.
“Cases under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act were registered,” SP Singh added.
Further investigation into the case is underway, he said.
Principal of the school Ravindra Samdur said, “There was a programme at the school yesterday... After the programme was over the teacher went to meet the students of Class 7-8. Some 4-5 girls said they were harassed, then we came to know about this, until then we were not aware of any such thing .”
Nationwide protest over Kolkata doctor's rape, murder
The incident comes amid nationwide protests over the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.
The assault of a doctor has sent shockwaves across the country.
Doctors have protested in many states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, demanding justice and better security laws for healthcare professionals.
The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the state police following an order from the Calcutta High Court.
(With inputs from agencies)