Police have arrested a teacher of an English-medium school for alleged sexual harassment of a girl student in Bareipali in Sambalpur district.
The accused was identified as Arun Kumar Joshi, an English teacher at the Panchagachia Kendriya Vidyalaya under the Bareipali police limits.
As per reports, two days back, the girl along with her friends was inside a classroom when Joshi came up to them. He asked the other girls to go out of the room and then allegedly misbehaved with the victim. Unable to bear the trauma, the girl went home and shared the ordeal with her family.
As the news spread, the association of parents and guardians raised protest and approached the school chairperson for immediate and stringent action against the teacher while questioning the safety of girls in the institution.
Assessing the seriousness of the situation, the school authorities then informed police. Meanwhile, Sambalpur Sub-Collector Puspanjali Panda along with a female IIC reached the spot for examination of the victim after getting orders from the Collector. A case was registered.
The Sub-Collector said, “We received complaint from both parents and school authorities today. We are exploring legal options after hearing the girl’s account and have initiated necessary action. An FIR has been lodged and exemplary action will be taken against the accused if found guilty.”