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School principal arrested for ‘molesting’ 16-year-old girl in Kashmir’s Kulgam
Police said that the Class 9 student of Leads Convent School Kulgam was called by the principal to his office where he allegedly molested her.
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly molested in her school by the principal on Tuesday in Kashmir’s southern district of Kulgam prompting angry reactions from the students and the parents.
Police said that the Class-9 student of Leads Convent School Kulgam was called by the principal, Irshad Ahmad (40), to his office where he allegedly molested her.
“We have arrested the accused after recording the statement of the girl and the witnesses. A case was registered under section 342, 354 RPC,” said station house officer of Kulgam police station, Riyaz Ahmad.
“The girl told us that he closed the door of his office, grabbed her hand and uttered foul words,” the officer said.
The accused has denied that he molested the girl and told police that he rebuked her as she was trying to copy during an exam.
But police said that the statements by other school girls indicate that the principal had called the girl to his office before the commencement of the examination.
“Her friends said that the principal asked them to tell the girl to see him in his office in the morning which she did. The girl then reached late in the examination hall and started weeping. It was only then that the matter came to light,” the SHO said.
The officer said that the news created chaos in the school and people were very angry.
The police reached school to pacify the people and recorded the statements of the girl and the witnesses. The principal was also taken into custody.
“We immediately swung into action and also ensured that all the students reach their homes safe,” the SHO said.
This is second incident of violence against minor girls in the district in the past one week. On July 26, police arrested three men for allegedly abducting and raping two girls while the two were on way to their homes in the evening.
