The headmaster of a city school, suspended for allegedly seeking sexual favours from a seventh standard student, has been released on bail.
The British national was arrested on Saturday.
“We booked a case under certain sections of Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 and Information Technology Act 2000,” B.R. Ravikante Gowda, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East Division), said.
After the case became public, the accused planned to leave the country, and therefore his passport was also seized, police said.
According to the police, the headmaster allegedly misbehaved with the victim, and sent the boy vulgar messages on a social networking site.
“The accused had been harassing the boy regularly. He used to call the victim to his chamber and ask him ‘inappropriate' and ‘objectionable' questions,” said a police official.
The case came to light when the boy informed his mother about it. Later, the mother approached the police with a complaint besides complaining to the school management.
The accused, originally from London, was an educator in the United Arab Emirates before being hired by the school last year. After the registration of the complaint, the management said, he had been put on “permanent suspension.”
“Shocked and saddened”
In a release, the school said that it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the events, and had initiated “various steps” to address any concerns of students and parents. The management said that it had not received such complaints from parents of any other children.
The release added that the school would function as per schedule, notwithstanding the suspension.
FIR copy sent to High Commission
Meanwhile, the police said the British High Commission in Bangalore was informed of the case.
An FIR copy was sent to the High Commission, they added.
On the options before the British High Commission, a source in New Delhi said: “After verifying the facts, the High Commission will allow Indian law take its course. To the accused, we can provide a lawyer.”
