Gujarat teacher arrested for sexually harassing underage student

Mahisagar (Gujarat): Police have arrested a physical education teacher of a public school in Mahisagar district of Gujarat on suspicion of sexually harassing and threatening a 16-year-old girl, an official said on Sunday.

Angry over the incident, a group of people vandalised the high school in Ranjitpura village in Virpur taluka of the district on Saturday evening, Deputy Commissioner of Police Kamlesh Vasava told reporters.

“The teacher repeatedly harassed the minor student, insisting that she have physical contact with him and also chat with him on social media,” he said.

The student confided in her relatives, who then complained to the school principal, the official said.

A group of angry villagers vandalized the educational institution.

After police were alerted, they arrived at the school on Saturday evening and arrested the teacher, Vasava said.

An FIR has been filed against the teacher under Sections 75 (criminal force on a woman with intent to undress her or to compel her to undress) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 12 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

The police have also taken action against those who damaged the school premises, he added.