Guard, teachers abuse us, principal seeks money for alcohol: girls from Dumka school | India News
FIR lodged; male teachers removed from 2 other residential schools in Jharkhand district
Police in Jharkhand’s Dumka district have registered an FIR against four male teachers of a residential school in the district over alleged sexual harassment on the basis of a letter from several girl students of the school in the district run by the Welfare Department.
In a letter sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Dumka on Thursday, the students wrote: “We are pained to say that we are studying in a very miserable condition…. The school guard watches dirty videos and sexually harasses, abuses us…. We are very scared and are in pain. Please take action or else we will be forced to take some desperate measures.”
The students also alleged in the letter that community-specific derogatory words were used against them. They accused teachers at the residential school of taking them — as well as the school staff — home to do domestic chores. They also accused the principal of seeking money from their parents to buy alcohol.
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The district Welfare Department has removed male teachers from two other residential schools in the district after the complaint emerged.
Deputy Commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde told The Sunday Express: “I received the letter from the girl students on Thursday. A team, led by an IAS officer, was formed in the next five minutes to conduct an inquiry. The findings were shocking. We immediately lodged a complaint and an FIR was registered.”
On Saturday, Dodde said, the students recorded their statements in front of a magistrate.
Arvind Kumar, in-charge of the police station where the FIR was registered, said, “After initial inquiry, it emerged that besides the allegations mentioned, the teachers used to also sexually abuse them by touching them inappropriately under the guise of medical check up. The time-line of the entire episode of abuse is not clear. It will become clear during the investigation.”
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Kumar said a case has been registered under IPC Sections 354-A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 354-B (any man who assaults or uses criminal force to any woman 354-D (punishment for stalking), and under POCSO Section 8 (sexual assault), 12 (sexual harassment).
District Welfare Officer Sanjay Kacchap told The Sunday Express that the school has 280 girl students.
“As of now, we have removed male teachers from the remaining two residential schools run by the Welfare Department,” he said. “We have started counselling sessions at all schools and are educating them on ‘good touch and bad touch’.”
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
First published on: 20-08-2023 at 04:37 IST
