Haryana: Government school principal arrested for harassing over 50 girl students

More than 50 female students of the government school in Jind district had accused the principal of sexual harassment, the Haryana State Commission for Women had said earlier.

Chandigarh: A government school principal in Haryana’s Jind district has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing more than 50 girl students, police said on Sunday. “The accused director was arrested on Saturday,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar Bhatia, who heads a five-member special investigation team probing the case, said over telephone. “He had been on the run for five days, but our teams arrested him. He will appear before a court (in Jind) and we will apply for his police remand to conduct further investigations,” he said.

More than 50 female students of the government school in Jind district had accused the principal of sexual harassment, the Haryana State Commission for Women had said earlier. Haryana Police had arrested the school principal on Monday, days after he was suspended by the Jind government over sexual harassment allegations.

State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia had earlier told reporters in Panchkula, “We have received 60 written complaints against the headmaster of the girl students. Of these, 50 complaints were from girls who stated physical abuse by the suspect. Ten other girls said in their complaints that they knew the director was doing such things.’

Police in Jind district on Monday registered a case against the director under Sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 341 (wrongful deprivation of liberty) and 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and under the protection provisions of children against sexual harassment. Offenses (POCSO) Act, the police had earlier said.

Bhatia had said that all the complainants were minors. The victims alleged that the accused called them to his office and “indulged in obscene acts,” she had said. A group of girl students from the school also reportedly sent letters to the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Commission for Women recently, detailing their ordeal, sources said. On the nature of the female students’ allegations, Jind Deputy Commissioner Mohd Imran Raza had said a week ago that they alleged that the principal “indulged in obscene acts” along with them.