School teacher arrested on charges of molestation in Maharashtra's Akola
Aug 21, 2024
Akola (Maharashtra) [India], August 21 : A school teacher was arrested in Maharashtra's Akola district on charges of molestation following complaints from six school girls, police said on August 21.
The incident came to light after schoolgirls filed a complaint about the teacher who has been identified as Pramod Manohar Sardar. Police have recorded the statements of the victim girls.
The accused was arrested on Tuesday evening.
Superintendent of Police Akolka Bachchan Singh told ANI, "Akola Police received a complaint of molestation of six school girls by Pramod Manohar Sardar, a teacher of the Zilla Parishad School in Kajikhed. Police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded the statements of the victim girls."
"Cases under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act were registered," SP Singh added.
Further investigation into the case is underway, he said.
The incident comes amid nationwide protests over the murder and alleged sexual assault of a female trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in West Bengal City of Kolkata on August 9.
The assault of a doctor has sent shockwaves across the country.
Doctors have protested in many states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, demanding justice and better security laws for healthcare professionals.
The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the state police following an order from the Calcutta High Court.
On August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed that "perpetrators should be awarded strict punishment at the earliest."
The incident has triggered a blame game with the opposition BJP in West Bengal demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a 10-member National Task Force to make recommendations on the prevention of violence and safe working conditions for medical professionals.
On August 9, a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered while on duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, sparking nationwide strikes and protests by the medical community.
On August 14, the protest site and the hospital campus at RG Kar were vandalized by a mob, prompting security personnel to disperse the crowd.
To maintain law and order, section 163 is in place around the Medical College and Hospital for seven days, effective from August 18 to August 24.
