Karimnagar school harassment: Police enquiry reveals sexual assault as well

An office subordinate at a Zilla Parishad High School in Gangadhara mandal, Karimnagar, was found to have sexually assaulted several minor students. Police booked him under POCSO, BNS, and IT Acts. The headmaster was suspended for not reporting the offence

Karimnagar: The office subordinate of a Zilla Parishad High School in Gangadhara mandal, who was arrested on charges of sexually harassing several minor girl students at the school, has been found to have sexually assaulted them as well.

The accused, Yakub Pasha, who had a history of misbehaving with the girls, was found to have assaulted at least four minor students, according to the preliminary investigation.

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In a video statement on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police Gaush Alam said Pasha not only misbehaved with the students but also sexually assaulted them, claiming that their photographs taken during school celebrations were morphed and uploaded on social media. The incident came to the notice of the district administration on Friday. Following this, the District Child and Women Welfare Officer, Child Welfare Committee members, Mandal Education Officer (MEO) and Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO) visited the school and conducted an enquiry. After confirming that the complaints were genuine, the school headmaster lodged a complaint with the Gangadhara police on Monday.

Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Information Technology (IT) Act, and began investigation.

Commissioner Alam said the victims were initially reluctant to share details of the assault. They were counselled by Child Line and Child Protection officials at the Sakhi Centre, following which they revealed that the incident went beyond harassment. The Commissioner said the headmaster failed to report the matter to higher authorities despite being aware of it. Not reporting such offences amounts to a criminal offence under Section 21 of the POCSO Act, he said, adding that the headmaster was suspended.

Further investigation is underway to gather scientific evidence and ascertain whether others were involved.

Meanwhile, Pasha, who was taken into custody on Monday and whose arrest was recorded on Tuesday, was produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. Police have sought a fast-track trial.