Himachal Pradesh Sexual Harassment: Govt school teacher arrested for sexually harassing 24 girls; students say he inappropriately touched them | Shimla News

SHIMLA: A teacher has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing 24 girl students at a government school in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, officials said on Monday.The accused, a mathematics teacher and trained graduate teacher (TGT), was taken into custody after students from Classes VIII to X reported the harassment to the school principal. The school authorities promptly informed the police, who arrested the teacher and produced him before a local court on Sunday evening. He has been remanded to three days of police custody.Acting swiftly, the education department suspended the teacher from service with immediate effect.Terming the incident “serious and sensitive,” the director of school education has directed the deputy director of elementary education, Sirmaur, to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the alleged sexual harassment of 24 girl students by a government school teacher.In an official letter, the director instructed the deputy director to personally visit the school, record statements from students, teachers, and staff, and submit a detailed report within a week.Meanwhile, the Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Janvadi Samiti, a women’s rights outfit, held a protest march on Monday, raising concerns over the increasing number of sexual assault cases involving schoolgirls and teachers in the district.The organisation submitted a memorandum to the state government through the Deputy Commissioner of Sirmaur, demanding swift and strict action against such offenders. “Rajgarh is not the lone incident. Three such incidents have already come up in recent months in the district, including one in Paonta Sahib,” said the district president of the Samiti, Santosh Kapoor, and demanded quick and strict action against teachers involved in such heinous crimes.The 24 girl students who accused a government school teacher of sexual harassment had submitted a written complaint to the school principal on Friday, alleging the teacher had inappropriately touched them, school authorities said.Following the complaint, the matter was forwarded to the school’s Internal Committee on Sexual Harassment for further action.On Saturday, a meeting was convened with the parents of the students. School officials stated that most parents were unaware their children had been facing such harassment.Police confirmed that the teacher has since been arrested, and a case has been registered against him under Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)