One Girl Mustered Courage To Speak Up & Blow The Lid Off The Crime
Washim: A 56-year-old teacher at a zilla parishad school in Washim district was taken into custody on Wednesday after 14 minor students accused him of sexually abusing them over a year. The survivors, students of Class 3 and 4, were threatened by the teacher to keep mum or face the consequences, said police. Washim police station in-charge Sridevi Patil said, “We have spoken to 10 girls so far, and more statements will be recorded. The students we spoke to are from Class 4 and we have come to know some victims are from Class 3 too.
Patil said, “The accused has been charged with sexual harassment and stringent sections of POCSO Act . Following protocols laid down in POCSO cases, identity of the victims was protected, said police. “After hour-long questioning, the accused was arrested,” said Patil.
Sources say the ordeal may have continued if not for a girl who picked the courage to confide in a woman teacher, who alerted the police. The survivors shared their trauma, which they suffered over a year. The teacher has been arrested under multiple charges. For now, police are trying to piece together the chain of events. Police avoided a backlash by swiftly whisking away the accused to the police station.
When police reached the school on Wednesday, parents had already gathered on the campus, triggering a commotion.