School teacher held in Koderma for allegedly molesting class seven student

Koderma: A teacher of a govt school in Markaccho block was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly molesting a class seven student at his school on September 16. Enraged locals and family members thrashed the accused before he was handed over to the cops.The arrest came hours after the girl’s father lodged an FIR. In his FIR, the father claimed that his daughter was alone in her classroom on September 16 when the accused, a teacher of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), allegedly molested her. The girl returned home terrified and narrated her ordeal to the family the following day.Officers from the local police station reached the school premises after reports reached them that the accused teacher was being beaten up by locals and the girl’s family members and took him in custody.

A case was registered under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and sent the accused to jail.The school principal said he had been apprised about the incident on September 16 itself and had informed the girl’s father. “It was decided that action will be taken will be taken against the accused teacher in presence of the student’s parents and school committee members on Tuesday. However, the mob intervened before official action could be taken,” he claimed.

The principal, however, had not informed his superiors about the incident.District education officer Avinash Kumar said the accused teacher had joined the school in 2023. “He was an ICT teacher contracted through the "Extra Marks" agency, one of four agencies providing ICT labs to schools in Koderma. The agency terminated the teacher's contract," he said.The school has an enrolment of 504 students, including approximately 300 girls, and a staff of nine teachers, including the accused.