Nishant Saxena

In a shocking development, a government school teacher from Shahjahanpur district was apprehended by the police on charges of molesting at least 18 girls. The principal and an assistant teacher of the school have also been implicated for supporting the accused, who worked as a computer teacher, as confirmed by the authorities on Sunday.

The police have filed cases against all three suspects under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The individuals involved in the incident were identified as Mohammad Ali, the computer teacher; Sajia, the assistant teacher; and Anil Pathak, the school principal.

Anand, Senior Superintendent of Police in Shahjahanpur, has been quoted by news agency ANI, as saying, “A case of sexual harassment of minor girls has been registered at Tilhar police station in Shahjahanpur. Eighteen girls have been subjected to sexual abuse. The accused has been arrested.” He further stated that legal proceedings were underway and the Child Welfare Committee had been notified.

Priyank Jain, the Circle Officer of Tilhar, provided additional details, stating, “The incident pertains to a secondary school located within Tilhar police station limits in Shahjahanpur district. Mohammad Ali, a computer instructor, allegedly molested minor girls enrolled in the school. He received support from the principal, Anil Pathak, and another teacher, Sajia.” The Circle Officer mentioned that the village head, Pradhan Lalta Prasad, lodged a complaint against all the accused at Tilhar police station.

The shocking revelation emerged when one of the girls confided in her parents about inappropriate touching by the computer teacher and other male students. Subsequently, the parents conducted a raid at the school premises, where they discovered used condoms in the school’s restroom. A video purportedly capturing the incident circulated on social media platforms.

Following the incident, officials from the education department suspended both the principal and the assistant teacher. Kumar Gaurav, the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA), stated, “A departmental inquiry against the computer teacher has been initiated and will be concluded soon. Currently, the principal and the assistant teacher have been suspended.” Gaurav confirmed that a case had been registered and that the police were investigating the case.

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