BHUBANESWAR: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked Odisha’s Kalahandi district police chief to probe allegations of sexual exploitation of minor girls in a public school whose teacher was allegedly murdered and buried in an under-construction stadium last month. The superintendent of police (SP) has been told to file a report within three days.
Since October when the charred remains of Mamita Meher, a school teacher in a private school in Mahalinga panchayat of Kalahandi was found in an under-construction stadium, opposition BJP and Congress have taken to streets alleging that a sex racket flourished there patronised by Gobind Sahu, the president of the school’s managing committee.
Sahu is accused of strangling 26-year-old Meher, a teacher in the school, in his car somewhere in Kalahandi district on October 8 after the latter allegedly threatened to expose her extramarital affairs. He then allegedly dismembered the body, burnt it and buried it in the under-construction stadium. He was arrested on October 19 and is in judicial custody.
Opposition parties have alleged that a sex racket was being operated in the school’s hostel for girls, and the students and female staffers were sexually harassed by Sahu.
In its letter to Kalahandi SP Vivek Saravana, NCPCR such allegations of sexual exploitation of the children. “The accused used to tempt the girls for good marks in examination and minister of state home Dibyashankar Mishra used to visit the school frequently. Both girls, as well as boys of the educational institution, were exploited,” the NCPCPR said.
{{/usCountry}}In its letter to Kalahandi SP Vivek Saravana, NCPCR such allegations of sexual exploitation of the children. “The accused used to tempt the girls for good marks in examination and minister of state home Dibyashankar Mishra used to visit the school frequently. Both girls, as well as boys of the educational institution, were exploited,” the NCPCPR said.
{{/usCountry}}The police officer has been told to send the information on action taken against the accused, and the other details of the schools including the number of students, age group of boys and girls who were allegedly exploited in the school and whether a case was registered in accordance with Section 19/21 of Pocso Act. It however advised the SP to be careful to ensure that the identities of the victims are not disclosed during the process of investigation.
Though BJD has stridently defended minister of state Mishra saying he could not be held accountable for the crimes allegedly committed by Sahu, opposition BJP and Congress continued to wave black flags and throw eggs at ministers. BJP and Congress workers pelted eggs at Mishra, agriculture minister Arun Sahu and women and child development minister Tukuni Sahu’s vehicles over last week.