Police have arrested five individuals, including four teachers from a private school, in Odisha’s Kendrapara district in connection with the alleged assault of a minor girl studying in Class 7, officials said on Saturday.
Those taken into custody are affiliated with the Oxford School located in the Rajkanika block in the district. A peon of the school was also apprehended as part of the ongoing investigation.
The arrests were made after a formal complaint was lodged by the victim’s family with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which led to an immediate police intervention.
A case has been registered at Rajkanika Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Kendrapara District Magistrate, Raghuram R Iyer, stated that the CWC conducted an inquiry into the alleged assault of the minor girl student and that police have arrested a few persons in connection with the case.
He added that the authorities are taking the matter seriously as the police probe continues.
Iyer said, “The CWC has inquired into the matter. They have visited the place, and they have interacted with the family, and the police have arrested a few persons, and the police investigation has started.”
Swagatika Patra, Chairperson of the Kendrapara CWC, stated that the committee received the complaint regarding the alleged assault on February 18. An inquiry team was mobilised immediately to assess the situation.
“… We received a complaint on the 18th regarding an allegation of student assault in a private school. An enquiry team was formed immediately, and we visited the school along with the parents. A report has been submitted, based on which the investigation will proceed,” Patra told ANI.
Further investigation into the incident is underway.
