JAGATSINGHPUR: Residents of Phulapatana village under Balikuda block staged a dharna outside Phulapatana primary school demanding arrest of the headmaster who is accused of abusing and molesting a minor girl student of the school, on Wednesday.
The 10-year-old girl, a student of Class V, was allegedly molested by headmaster Mayadhar Rout on several occasions. On Saturday last, the accused called her to his office and molested her again and this happened in the presence of a lady teacher Runsiha Rani Das.
Villagers came to know about the incident on Sunday and conduced a gram sabha where it was decided that action will be taken against the headmaster. The accused confessed to the crime and apologised. However, villagers asked him to resign from the post and pay a fine.
Rout did not pay heed to the villagers’ demand and went on leave on Monday. Subsequently, the girl’s father lodged a complaint at Bandar Marine police station against the accused. While he is yet to be arrested, police have detained the lady teacher.
District Education Officer Kapilendra Mishra said headmaster Rout and lady teacher Das have been placed under suspension and stern action will be taken against the headmaster if found guilty.
In another incident, a man was arrested for molesting a nursing student on Wednesday. The girl is a student of a private nursing institute in Jagatsinghpur town and stayed in the college hostel. On Monday, she was travelling to her native village Nausira in a Paradip-bound passenger bus when a co-passenger, Adwait Kumar Behera, tried to molest her. Although the girl protested, no one bothered to help her. On Tuesday, when she was returning to the college in the same bus, the accused followed her and took the same bus from Nausira Chowk on Paradip-Cuttack State Highway. He again molested her and when she raised an alarm, Behera got down from the bus at Charchika Bazaar. The conductor and the driver of the bus did not respond to the girl’s complaint.
The girl got down at Jagatsinghpur bus stand and informed locals about the incident. They then rushed to Charchika Chowk, nabbed the accused and handed him over to the police. The girl lodged a complaint at Jagatsinghpur police station. IIC of the police station Rajnikanta Mishra said the accused has been arrested and forwarded to court. Police have also interrogated driver, helper and conductor of the two passenger buses.