Assam principal arrested 10 days after allegedly sexually assaulting minor

GUWAHATI: A school teacher in Assam’s Karimganj district has been arrested after a complaint was lodged against him on the charges of sexually assaulting a minor girl in the school premises, police said on Sunday.

On May 18, an FIR was filed at the Badarpur Police Station in the district against Bhanga Higher Secondary school’s head teacher Asar Uddin, alleging that he had called a student into his room and had sexually abused her.

Police issued an arrest warrant after filing a complaint against him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Asar Uddin, however, fled the scene following the event.

A number of social organisations organised demonstrations against the incident and called for Asar Uddin’s immediate arrest. He was located in the Nilambazar area on Saturday night by Karimganj police, who then brought him before the court.

Asar Uddin was hiding in a house there, according to Karimganj’s Superintendent of Police Partha Pratim Das, adding that police got the information about his hide-out on Saturday.

“Our team carefully planned an operation and caught him from that house based on the exact information. He has been brought before the court by us. Those who assisted him in hiding are suspected, and we are looking into the situation more deeply,” Das added.

Asar Uddin was last week removed from his position by the Secondary Education Department of Assam and advised to assist the police with their investigation.

Assam’s Director, Secondary Education, Mamata Hojai wrote in her letter: “Report regarding involvement in sexual exploitation of a minor girl student of class 7 of Bhanga HS School by Principal Asar Uddin has been published in the media, which has maligned the image of our department. There is a demand from the public and the guardians of students for immediate departmental action against Asar Uddin.”

According to the district level education department officers, sufficient evidence is available against the accused and this was informed to the higher authority.

“Considering this, departmental proceeding was called for against Asar Uddin. He has been placed under suspension with immediate effect under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1964,” Hojai rote in the letter.

The minor girl underwent medical testing.

According to authorities, the student claimed that Asar Uddin threatened to fail her in every subject if she notified anybody about the incident.