Dungarpur govt school principal suspended for molesting students, FIR under POCSO charges

Rajasthan— A case of alleged molestation of female pupils at a government school situated in the Sadar police station area of Dungarpur district has come to light, with the headmaster, Ramesh Katara, being accused of the heinous act. 

The relatives of the affected girls made their way to the collectorate where they presented a memorandum before proceeding to the Sadar police station. 

The accused headmaster has been detained by the police, with the education village department suspending him after a preliminary inquiry. 

A case has been registered under POCSO after the report lodged by the family of a girl student, citing the molestation of ten girls. A five-member inquiry committee has been formed by the education department, with medical examinations being conducted of the affected minor girls.

The police have taken statements from the minors which have been video recorded, and medical reports have been obtained from the Medical Board.

The incident was reported on May 31 when a 12-year-old minor girl told her mother that the Principal Ramesh Katara had molested her on the pretext of playing during school holidays. 

The report also mentions that the Principal indulged in obscene acts with other minors too. 

Dungarpur SP Kundan Kanwariya  confirmed that a case has been registered under various sections, and an application is being initiated  for recording the statements of the minors under section 164.

Sensitisation Drive to teach students about good and bad touch in schools

A campaign aimed at creating awareness among schoolgirls on the subject of Good Touch and Bad Touch was initiated about three years ago by an IAS officer Naveen Jain who was serving in some other department. 

Recently Jain joined as the Secretary of the Education Department, and considering the increasing cases of sexual violence against children, the  campaign has now been institutionalized, with a new rule mandating that all schools in the state provide training on good and bad touch to their female students between August and December. In a recent meeting held at Jaipur, officials were given directions in this connection. 

Prior to teaching students , teachers will receive training in June and July. The teachers will then conduct training sessions for the female students in their schools, under the guidance of their school or PEEO (Panchayat Elementary Education Officer). 

The officials have been tasked with developing a schedule for training on good and bad touch, and training camps will be organized soon. A comprehensive program for educating girls on the topic of good and bad touch is in the works and will be implemented soon.