Taking action suo motu , the Talaghattapura police on Monday filed a case against a physical education instructor of a school on Kanakapura Road under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which pertains to sexual offences against children.
Anupam Agarwal, Superintendent of Police, Ramanagara said that he is likely to be arrested soon.
Earlier, a suo motu case was filed by Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) against the instructor who has been accused of misbehaving with girl students. The teacher had been sent on long leave by the school committee, which oversees the functioning of the institution, on July 24 reportedly after a girl complained that he was staring at her. While the management claimed that there was only one instance of ‘staring’, parents had said there were several complaints of harassment against him.
The Block Education Officer (BEO), Bangalore (South Range 1) K. Prakash probed the allegations. In his report, he stated that the offence was more than staring and recommended action against the teacher. The management had not informed the police or the Education Department until the incident was reported by the media.
On Monday, KSCPCR member Fr. Edward Thomas alleged that the inquiry conducted by the school had given a clean chit to the teacher.
Meanwhile, the school reiterated that it was case of ‘staring’, and said that the teacher had resigned as it was humiliating for him to continue. A statement by the school committee said ‘we take precautionary measures as soon as we get the slightest complaint as we want to make our students comfortable’.
