Soumitra Bose

HIGHLIGHTS

  1. Police said the accused would sing songs while embracing the students
  2. Koradi police have booked Jameer Bapatti in the case

Representative image

NAGPUR: A sexual harassment case has been registered on Thursday against the cook of a reputed school located at Bokhara Road on the fringes of the city. The matter came to fore during a routine visit of tribal project officer Shubhangi Sapkal and her team.

The survivors were girl tribal students who were studying at the school under the ‘integrated tribal development project’. Koradi police have booked Jameer Bapatti in the case.

This is the second case of sexual harassment of tribal students in the district and it raises a question on their security at educational institutions.

Bapatti, who has been working with the institution for around six years, allegedly used to ‘touch’ the girls in a questionable manner on their cheeks and other parts of the body. A standard III student told the project officials on Wednesday that she was among the many who would be ‘touched’ by Bapatti regularly. The others supported her claim.

Police also told TOI that Bapatti would sing songs while embracing the students.

Around 96 girls from Nagpur district were among the 250 students from different parts of Vidarbha who are studying at the school which has a residential facility. “The school receives grant of around Rs40,000 per annum, per student,” said a tribal department officer.

The tribal department, after learning about the incident, approached Koradi police which then sent a team to the school to record statements of four survivors. Women cops also spoke to the girls.

Police did not reveal if the girls had complained to the school management earlier and whether any action was taken.

Though senior PI Rajendra Wadyalkar of Koradi police station was not forthcoming with information, he said Bapatti was arrested following the complaint. The school belongs to an influential group having political links.

Despite repeated efforts, TOI was unable to talk to the school management. A police source said that Bapatti had stopped coming to school for the last two weeks. He had gone to Akola as his wife was due for delivery.

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Immediate death penalty is the only solution to such crime.Pratima Gandhi

A senior tribal department officer claimed that the school management had created several facilities for the students which included CCTV.

Koradi police have registered a case of sexual harassment and also relevant sections under protection of children from sexual offences Act, 2012 and Scheduled tribes and scheduled castes (prevention of atrocity) Act.

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