Haryana Police have arrested a government school principal for allegedly sexually harassing about 60 girl students in Jind district. The district police said that the accused school principal was on the run after the case was registered by the complainant.

Jind (Narwana) DSP Amit Kumar Bhatia, talking to reporters, said that the accused principal was arrested. “The accused had been on the run for five days, but our teams arrested him. He will be produced before a court (in Jind) and we will be seeking his police remand to conduct further investigations,” said DSP Bhatia, who is heading a five-member Special Investigation Team probing the case.

Another police official said that after receiving compliant, a case was registered against the school principal under Sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the concerned police station.

Earlier, Haryana State Commission for Women's chairperson Renu Bhatia had stated that about 60 girl students of the Girls’ Senior Secondary School in Jind district had accused the principal of sexual harassment. “We have received 60 written complaints against the principal from the girl students. Out of this, 50 are complaints from girls who stated physical abuse at the hands of the accused. Ten other girls, in their complaint, said they knew the principal was into such things," added the chairperson.

On Monday, the Haryana Police had booked the school principal, days after he was suspended by the Jind administration over allegations of sexual harassment.

According to the women commission’s chairperson, all the complainants were minor.  The victims alleged that the accused used to call them to his office and “indulge in obscene acts", she added.

Sources said that a group of girl students of the school had also reportedly recently shot off letters to the Prime Minister's Office and the National Commission for Women detailing their ordeal.