PERNEM
Barely two days after a Physical Education (PE) teacher was arrested in Bicholim on charges of molesting a minor schoolgirl, a dismissed PE teacher was arrested in Pernem on Wednesday on charges of sexually assaulting a minor schoolgirl from the school in Tuem.
According to Pernem PI Devendra Gad, the accused, Sujit alias Bandya Rane of Tuem-Murmuse, is alleged to have sexually assaulted the victim girl in December 2015.
When the victim girl complained of abdominal pain to her parents, she was sent for a medical checkup and was found to be two months pregnant. The girl later narrated the entire incident to her parents, who later filed a complaint at the Pernem Police station.
Acting on the complaint, Pernem Police arrested the accused at his residence and later sent him for a medical examination.
“The accused is alleged to have molested another minor girl in the past. The school authorities convened a meeting of the management committee and the accused teacher was asked to resign. But the matter was not reported to the police as the girl's parents chose not to file a complaint,” PI Gad said. Acting on the management's order, the accused teacher resigned from the school.
The second incident occurred in December 2015, after the PE teacher was dismissed from the school.
Pernem Police registered the offence under Section 376 of IPC and Children's Act and is investigating the case.
It may be recalled that a 49-year-old physical education teacher of Government High School, Shirgao-Bicholim, was arrested on charges of molesting a minor schoolgirl from the same school. The incident was reported to have taken place while the teacher, Umesh Fadte, and the student were returning after attending a prize distribution ceremony of a sports function at Mayem-Bicholim on March 1.
