Bihar school headmaster held under POCSO Act over allegations by girl students
Nawada, Bihar: Police have arrested Mahesh Prasad Yadav, 52, headmaster of Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya, Anandpura, after girl students accused him of molestation and indecent behaviour. He has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sent to judicial custody.
The matter surfaced on Friday, September 18, when students of classes 6 to 8 came forward. Yadav has reportedly been posted at the school since 2023. The girls alleged that he touched them inappropriately, peeped into the bathroom, pulled their hair and forcibly made them sit on his lap. One student said she was touched wrongly when she went to his office to collect an answer sheet and question paper during exams.
News of the allegations drew a large crowd of villagers to the school. Tensions rose, the headmaster was reportedly locked in his office, and some students allegedly hit him and damaged a classroom projector. Nagar police station personnel and a Dial-112 team reached the spot, calmed the crowd and took him away for questioning.
Police registered an FIR on the students' complaint, including POCSO provisions, and arrested him. The matter was also flagged to Nawada Police by Bihar Police's official social media handle. Officers say the girls' statements and other evidence are being examined, with special care since the complainants are minors. Videos of the uproar have circulated online, but they have not been independently verified.
Under the POCSO Act, the identities of child victims cannot be disclosed. The allegations are yet to be tested in court, where the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
