MP: Missionary school hostel manager arrested for sexually assaulting Class 8 boy

The assault happened at Amar Jyoti School in Amarpur village, about 440km from Bhopal.

Father Leo D’Souza, the hostel manager of a residential missionary school in southeastern Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student.

The headmaster was charged with legal provisions in the 2012 law to protect children from sexual offences.

The assault happened at Amar Jyoti School in Amarpur village, about 440km from Bhopal.

The warden allegedly summoned the Class 8 boy from his hostel room on July 9 and tried to rape him before he managed to escape, police said.

“The boy told his parents about the assault and they informed us about it. We arrested Leo D’Souza from Jabalpur on Monday night,” said Sanjay Sonwani, in-charge of Amarpur police outpost.

He is charged with legal provisions in the 2012 law to protect children from sexual offences, called POCSO. A person found guilty can be jailed for five years.

Dindori police superintendent Simala Prasad said school authorities and students were being questioned to find out if the 50-year-old man had committed similar acts before.

(With inputs from Monika Pandey in Jabalpur)