President of school committee held for molesting 7-year-old

The Uran police on Tuesday arrested the president of a school’s managing committee for allegedly molesting a seven-year-old girl student on campus.

The 32-year-old accused, police said, would visit the school frequently and was allowed to enter classrooms because of the position he held.

“On April 12, when the accused visited the school, he took the Class 1 student to a vacant room. There he molested her,” said Atul Ahire, inspector from Uran police station.

“A few other students spotted him through a window and raised an alarm. They later informed the girl’s parents who approached the police. We filed a first information report [FIR] and arrested the accused in the early hours of Tuesday.”

In their statement to the police, the girl’s parents alleged the accused had molested students in the past too. The police, however, have not received any other complaints so far.

“No other parents have come to us with similar complaints. We will take requisite measures if we receive more complaints,” said Ahire.

Despite repeated attempts, teachers and members of the school’s managing committee were unavailable for comments.

The police have booked the accused under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012.

He was produced in court on Monday and has been remanded in police custody till April 20.

First Published: Apr 17, 2019 08:23 IST