ZP school teacher held for sexually harassing girl students; sent to judicial custody

Beed, Dec 3 (PTI) Police have arrested a government school teacher in Beed district of Maharashtra for allegedly sexually harassing and molesting girl students of Classes 3 and 4, officials said on Wednesday.

The teacher, Vishnu Zombade, was arrested on Tuesday and a local court sent him to 14 days of judicial custody.

The incident came to light in the school located in Majalgaon taluka.

"Zombade was allegedly harassing the girls for the past 15 days and also threatening them to remain silent. The crime came to light after one of the victims confided in her family members, who approached the police on Monday," inspector of Majalgaon Rural police station Balak Koli said.

Zombade had reportedly joined the school only two months ago, he said.

The incident triggered widespread anger among parents, who raised question marks over the safety of their wards.

"If teachers themselves behave in this manner, what future do our children have?" one of the parents asked.

They also urged the authorities to appoint a female teacher at the school to ensure the safety of girl students.

The accused was booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 74 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 75 (sexual harassment), besides sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. PTI COR NP