Sexual abuse in Jind school: Principal faced similar charges during previous postings, too

Tribune News Service

Deepender Deswal

Jind, November 8

The investigation into the case of sexual harassment of girls by the principal of a government senior secondary school in Jind district has revealed that it was impossible that the other staff members posted in the school were unaware of the misdemeanours of the principal.

Posted here 6 yrs ago

We came to know that he faced similar allegations in other schools too and that he was transferred from those places later. The police are also trying to locate the daily dairy report (DDR) of an incident that occurred in a school in Jind district where he was posted in 2014. He was posted in present school six years ago. An official

According to information, many in the Education Department were well also aware of the “character” and “misdemeanours” of the accused principal.

“We came to know that he faced similar allegations in other schools too and that he was transferred from those places later. The police are also trying to locate the daily dairy report (DDR) of an incident that occurred in a school in Jind district where he was posted in 2014. He was posted in present school six years ago,” said an official.

CCTV didn’t cover his chair

A visit to the school revealed that the CCTV camera in the principal’s room was fixed at such an angle that it did not cover the principal’s chair and its nearby area. Moreover, the control system of the CCTV was also installed inside the principal’s room.

Narrating an incident, a girl told the investigators that the accused principal called some girls to his office to sort out a row among them over Rs 50. He got the matter sorted out after watching the CCTV footage. The principal then asked one of the girls who was found at fault to stay in the room while letting the other girls go. After some time, the girl rushed out of the principal’s room crying. “If such an incident happened, it was not possible that other employees, including non-teaching staff and teachers, did not come to know about that,” said one of the officials.

A visit to the school revealed that the CCTV camera in the principal’s room was fixed at an angle that it did not cover the principal’s chair and its nearby area. Moreover, the control system of the CCTV was also installed inside the principal’s room.

“The district administration initially started the process to refer the complaint to the district sexual harassment committee. However, the administration had to expedite the process after the State Commission for Women raised the matter and the additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Education Department placed the accused principal under suspension on October 27. The police registered a case under the POCSO Act and the IPC. Sources said another employee of the same school had also been summoned by the Education Department authorities for questioning in connection with the case.

“The involvement of other employees in the case cannot be ruled out at this stage. There is a section of the staff who even tried to confront the accused principal over the allegations, but he managed to ward off such allegations. A large section of the staff maintained distance from the principal, apparently after coming to know about his alleged behaviour,” said an official.

Sources said one of the girls mustered courage to take up the case. However, many girls who recorded statements before the Education Department authorities on October 27 seemed to be under pressure. “Many girls are now shying away from giving statement under Section 164 of the CrPC. This shows they are under pressure,” they added.

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