School instructor held for rape

Varanasi: A physical education instructor stationed at a primary school in the Duddhi Kotwali area of Sonbhadra district was apprehended on Tuesday after evading authorities for 40 days. Following thorough interrogation, the accused was charged with rape and violation of POCSO Act and subsequently remanded to court. The basic education department is also initiating the process to terminate the employment of the accused.
According to reports, a district-level competition for primary schools was held in Ghorawal in December 2023.The instructor, Vishambhar Kumar, a resident of Ballia, allegedly took the girl under the pretext of participating in the event, took her to his residence instead, and raped her, resulting in a deterioration of her health. When the victim’s family confronted the teacher, he leveraged his influence to dissuade them from contacting the police and offered them Rs. 30,000 for her treatment.
Due to pressure from influential local individuals and fear of social stigma, the girl was sent to relatives in Chhattisgarh for treatment. However, her condition worsened due to the psychological trauma caused by the assault after which the police were informed. Duddhi police registered the case upon receiving the complaint on July 10. Meanwhile, the accused fled upon learning about the case. The girl’s family took her to BHU hospital in Varanasi for treatment, where she tragically succumbed after 20 days.
Sonbhadra SP Yashveer Singh formed two teams to apprehend the absconding instructor. According to inspector-in-charge Manoj Kumar Singh, the case was registered on July 10 under IPC sections 376(3), 376(2)F, and POCSO Act sections 3/4(2)/5F/6. The accused had been evading authorities since then.
Basic shiksha adhikari Mukul Anand Pandey said the process to terminate the physical education instructor’s employment is underway. TNN