KV student sexually harassed, teacher arrested in Odisha’s Sambalpur

Sambalpur: Police have arrested a teacher of an English Medium School for alleged sexual harassment of a girl student in Bareipali in Odisha’s Sambalpur district.

The accused was identified as Arun Kumar Joshi, an English teacher at Panchagachia Kendriya Vidyalaya within Bareipali police limits here.

As per reports, two days back, the girl student along with her friends was inside a classroom when Joshi came up to them. He asked the other girls to go out of the room and then allegedly misbehaved with the victim. Unable to bear the trauma, the girl went home and shared the ordeal with her family. As the news spread, association of parents and guardians raised protest and approached the school chairperson for immediate and stringent action against the teacher, while questioning the safety of girls in the institution.

Assessing the seriousness of the situation, school authorities then informed police. Meanwhile, Sambalpur sub-collector Puspanjali Panda along with a female IIC reached the spot for examination of the victim after getting orders from the Collector. A case has been registered. “On getting information about alleged sexual harassment, we reached out to the complainant. We received complaint from both parents and school authorities today. We are exploring legal options after hearing her account and have initiated necessary action. An FIR has been lodged and exemplary action will be taken against the accused if found guilty,” she told mediapersons.