Guwahati: A 40-year-old head teacher of a government school in Assam’s Karimganj district has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for allegedly forcing a minor student to watch pornographic content on his mobile phone, district police told ThePrint. The accused, identified as Jahir Uddin, is absconding.
Police further said that the alleged incident took place on 12 August, but was reported to them Friday when local residents gathered at the school premises and resorted to arson and destruction of property. Videos circulated on social media showed a group of people chanting ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans and demanding justice.
Karimganj Superintendent of Police Partha Pratim Das told ThePrint that the alleged incident was not immediately reported by the minor’s family.
“Initially, the family had not lodged a complaint. We have now registered a case against the teacher. We suspect the matter was attempted to be sorted locally among the two parties, but it did not go as planned. The accused teacher is absconding and will soon be arrested,” he added.
Meanwhile, police have also lodged a suo motu complaint for destruction of government property.
“School property including books, benches and cupboards have been destroyed by locals. We rushed to the spot along with the fire brigade to douse the flames. The school now lies in ruins,” said the Karimganj SP.
Local residents who staged a protest in the area want the school to be shut down, and the accused arrested. “We came to know of it Friday. We send our children to school so that they become better human beings. What will they learn from a teacher like this?” said one of the residents.
The protesters also blocked the road but later cleared it at the intervention of senior police officers and the district administration.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)