Teacher arrested for molesting 6 students

GURUGRAM: A male teacher of a government primary school in Badshahpur was arrested on Friday afternoon for allegedly molesting at least six girls in the school during the last academic year, the police said.

The girls were molested while they were in Class 5 and had later moved to a nearby government school when they started Class six.

The incident came to light during an inspection at this school around 2pm on Friday, Rocky Mittal, project director of ‘Ek Aur Sudhar’ programme of the Haryana government, whose team conducted the inspection, said.

“Three of the girls started crying and said that a teacher had molested them when they were in Class five,” Mittal said.

The team, which included police officers as well, detained the man from the nearby school and the girls identified him, Mittal said.

The accused, in his 40s, was arrested on the spot and an FIR was registered at Badshahpur Police Station under Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The accused had been teaching at the school since last December, the police said.

According to a police officer, who was present at the spot, the girls said that the accused teacher used to touch them inappropriately at school.

The police said that they have not found any criminal history connected to the teacher yet. They said he would be presented at a city court on Saturday.

During the inspection at the girls school, an assembly of the students was called.

When three girls told the team about the incident, three other girls also came out with their harrowing experiences, Mittal said.

The police said that the girls’ statements would be recorded before a magistrate and they would be counselled by members of the Child Welfare Committee.