Jharsuguda teacher held for alleged sexual misconduct
The accused was taken into custody following a formal complaint by the survivors' parents.
He has been charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and relevant sections of BNS.
According to police, the teacher allegedly engaged in inappropriate physical contact with the students during school hours. The incident came to light when the survivors informed their families, who reported the matter first to the block education officer (BEO).
"A preliminary inquiry was launched on Saturday after we received the complaint on Friday night," said district education officer Radhakant Gartia.
District child welfare committee chairperson Ashish Panda confirmed that the survivors' statements will be recorded before a magistrate. The court has ordered the teacher to be held in judicial custody while a departmental probe is underway. "We have requested reports from both the district education officer and the district child protection Officer," Panda added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
17 minutes ago
- Hans India
Raise voice against sexual harassment: Pravati
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida on Wednesday urged working women to fearlessly raise their voice against sexual harassment at workplaces and fight for their rights. Speaking at an orientation programme on POSH Act (2013) at the State secretariat, Lok Seva Bhawan, Parida said, 'Sexual harassment is not a stigma or taboo. If we remain silent, we empower the harasser. Saying 'no' is your right—use it. The government stands firmly with victims.' Parida, the only woman minister in the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government, also heads the Women and Child Development department. She addressed over 600 government employees, both men and women, at the session designed to raise awareness on Prevention of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (POSH) Act. Emphasising institutional accountability, she said, 'Strict directives have been issued to set up Internal Committees in all institutions and colleges to ensure proper implementation of the Act. Action will be taken against both offenders and those making false accusations.' Parida has been the target of the Opposition BJD and Congress over a brutal attack on a 15-year-old girl in Balanga, under her Nimapara constituency, who was set ablaze by unidentified assailants. Taking aim at the previous BJD regime, Parida said the POSH Act had been neglected since its introduction in 2013. The orientation programme was attended by renowned lawyer Manasi Padhi, who delivered a detailed presentation on the POSH Act during two dedicated sessions. She explained the provisions, rights, responsibilities and redressal mechanisms under the Act in depth. Opposition BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty, however, in an X post said, 'The Deputy Chief Minister must ensure that when a victim speaks, it is not met with institutional silence from the government or her party. Justice should not end with video messages, it must be delivered in action.' He cited the case of a student from FM College, Balasore, who reportedly faced harassment but failed to get justice due to delays and inaction by the college ICC, police and political leaders. 'The common people, along with Opposition parties, are now fighting for justice for our sister. Meanwhile, a minor girl from the area represented by Madam Pravati Parida, was set ablaze and is now fighting for her life,' Mohanty said in the social media post, adding that across Odisha, incidents of sexual harassment are being reported almost daily due to the breakdown of law and order under the BJP government. Meanwhile, in a post on X, Parida, who flew to Delhi after addressing the programme, said: 'I met the victim from Balanga, who is undergoing treatment at Delhi AIIMS. She hails from my constituency. I spoke to her family and relatives. During this visit, I discussed her health condition and treatment with the medical team and specialists providing her care. I pray to the Almighty that she recovers quickly.'
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘It was consensual': Court gives teacher, 40, bail over sexual relationship with 16-year-old boy
The 40-year-old female teacher of a prominent Mumbai school who was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for engaging in sexual activity with one of her students, was granted bail on the grounds that the boy was over 16 years of age, and evidence shows there was a 'consensual relationship subsequently.' In her bail plea, accused teacher said the boy was emotionally attached to her and referred to her as his 'wife'.(Unsplash/representational) As reported earlier by HT, the teacher had been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting the minor student on multiple occasions for over a year and for allegedly luring him to five-star hotels, plying him with alcohol and then engaging in sex with him. She was arrested last month after the boy's family complained to the police. In a detailed order, the special court for cases under POCSO Act noted that the accused's resignation from the school last year — during which the alleged sexual assaults took place — had diluted the 'student-teacher dynamic.' Special judge Sabina Malik also said the trial will take time to commence, so keeping the woman behind bars would not serve any purpose. The court granted the woman bail after considering that she is the mother of two minor children. 'He has a tattoo of my name' The accused has denied all the allegations, claiming the FIR was 'motivated' and filed at the insistence of the boy's mother who disapproved of their relationship. In her bail plea, she stated that the boy was emotionally attached to her and referred to her as his 'wife'. She also claimed that he had sent her affectionate messages and handwritten notes, and had a tattoo of her name on his body, adding that these facts were deliberately omitted from the police complaint. The teacher also claimed that she had resigned from the school in April 2024 to distance herself from the boy and insisted that she would only meet him with his mother's permission. However, he continued to contact her, she alleged. According to the FIR, from January 2024 to February 2025, the woman had sex with the boy at various five-star hotels and also in her car. She allegedly also gave him alcohol and medication for anxiety, and used a female colleague to persuade him to meet her. She then resigned from the school last year after the boy passed Class 11. 'Made to sign document in Marathi, did not understand' In the bail order, the court noted, 'As the accused had resigned from the school, the relationship of a teacher and student no longer existed and, hence, the influence was diluted.' The court also took note of the accused's contention that the police had provided the grounds of her arrest to her in Marathi, a language she does not understand, and that she was made to sign the documents without a translation. The court recorded this as part of its reasoning while noting improper compliance with arrest procedures under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS). In her bail plea, the accused pointed to her responsibilities as a single mother of 11-year-old twins — one of whom suffers from a respiratory condition — as grounds for leniency. She submitted her daughter's medical records and argued that her incarceration was affecting the children's education and mental health. Opposing bail, both the prosecution and the complainant cited trauma, threats, and concerns over tampering with evidence. However, the court said these risks could be addressed through strict bail conditions. 'The potential risk to the victim, if any, could be catered to by imposing necessary terms and conditions,' the court order stated, while also warning that 'breach of any condition will amount to cancellation of bail'. The teacher was granted bail on furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000, with one or more solvent sureties of the same amount. She was directed not to contact the victim or witnesses, tamper with evidence, or leave Mumbai without the court's permission. (Reported by Vikrant Jha)
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Three more held in Agra religious conversion case
In a statement issued by Agra Police, it was revealed that the three suspects were arrested from Agra's ISBT area based on names that emerged during interrogation of previously arrested suspects. Police teams had been dispatched for their arrest, and they were held on Wednesday. With these latest arrests, the total number of individuals held in connection with the case has risen to 14. Agra, Jul 23 (PTI) Agra Police on Wednesday said it has arrested three more accused in the ongoing investigation into a religious conversion case registered on May 4, 2025, under multiple sections of the BNS and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021. Those held have been identified as Junaid Qureshi (30), Abdullah (20), and Abdul Rahim (27) – all three residents of northeast Delhi. According to the police statement, one of the accused had allegedly held a Scheduled Caste woman from Haryana captive and forcibly arranged her marriage to co-accused Junaid through a qazi in Rajasthan. The arrested individuals are accused of luring women into relationships and subsequently pressuring them into conversion. Abdul Rehman was allegedly in contact with Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, a figure previously linked to conversion rackets. The trio allegedly created fake documents to facilitate the conversions. PTI KIS MNK MNK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
