2 Teachers Arrested on Sexual Harassment Charge in Goalpara

A Correspondent

Goalpara: The Dudhnoi police of Goalpara district in Lower Assam on Friday arrested two teachers of Sankardev Shishu Vidya Niketan at Dudhnoi Ramesh Kalita and Gopal Sarma on sexual harassment charge against their own students after investigation. ‘We received an information from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) about the allegation and after proper investigation, apprehended the two accused teachers on Thursday night and on Friday we have produced them before the court. The court has sent the teachers to judicial custody’, an informed officer in charge of Dudhnoi police station Mukut Kakoty.

Kakoty further informed that a case had been registered as Dudhnoi PS, No. 120/19 and Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 354/354 A and relevant Sections of Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 were levelled against them. Section 354 of IPC refers to assault or criminal force to woman with an intent to outrage her modesty.

On the other hand, Section 354 A of IPC refers to sexual harassment of the nature of unwelcomed physical contact and advances or a demand or request for sexual favours or showing pornography. If found guilty under Section 354 A, the accused will be punished for three years rigorous imprisonment. Both the teachers were suspended by the management after the allegation surfaced.

An officer in DCPU briefed about the incident, ‘We received information from our own source that girls of an entire class in the said school had officially objected to the school management regarding the indecent and abusive behaviour of these two particular teachers. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Goalpara immediately ordered the DCPU for an investigation during which we interacted with the victims and subsequently filed a report to the CWC as well as the Superintendent of Police for their necessary action and we are happy that the police has successfully nabbed the culprits.’ Earlier, a teacher from near Agia based school was sent to jail when a girl student committed suicide and the family filed an FIR against its school teacher holding him responsible.

Dibakar Sarma, member of the Goalpara CWC significantly remarked, ‘the administration and the education department must have a close eye upon the functioning and student-teacher relationship in the entire State as more and more such incidents are being reported and large amounts of cases are kept hidden.’

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