The headmaster of a residential school for tribal and Dalit girls in Koraput district of Odisha was arrested on Friday for giving physical punishment and seriously injuring a student of Class III.
Several other students alleged that a Class VII student had been sexually abused by the headmaster of the residential Sevashram School at Badahanjar village of Nandapur block, said Koraput District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Rajashri Das.
The headmaster is Arjun Pradhan. According to Ms Das, investigation has also been initiated in this allegation. This has also been mentioned in the FIR lodged by Childline against the headmaster, she said.
During an enquiry by the DCPO, several students had alleged that a girl of Class VII was sexually abused by the headmaster around six months ago, but the case was not reported.
This recent incident of punishment occurred on January 25. The headmaster is alleged to have ruthlessly beaten the student resulting in an injury to her right eye. She had not been provided any medical care by the school authorities. Because of ‘pousha parva’ festival of tribals, most students had gone back to their homes.
The injured girl was provided medical care on January 27 only after the girl’s parents and other villagers protested. Students also accused the headmaster of beating them.
