School Teacher Thrashed by Villagers for Allegedly Misbehaving with Girl Students in Odisha’s Ganjam
Police said an investigation is underway and statements of students, staff and parents were recorded to ascertain the sequence of events
Bhubaneswar: Tension prevailed in the Aska area of Odisha’s Ganjam district on Thursday after a male teacher was allegedly caught misbehaving with girl students, prompting angry villagers to thrash him on the school premises.
The accused, identified as Surya Narayan Nahak, a teacher at Balichhai Upper Primary School, was reportedly under suspicion for some time for allegedly keeping inappropriate contact with female students during school hours as well as in private tuition classes.
According to local sources, the latest incident came to light when he allegedly called a girl student into a room and attempted to forcibly hug her, while directing another student to record the act on a mobile phone.
As the news spread, a group of parents and villagers rushed to the campus and assaulted the teacher before police reached the spot. Officers later rescued Nahak from the agitated mob and took him into custody for his own safety. A formal complaint has been registered, police officials confirmed.
The school headmaster said the matter has been reported to higher authorities in the education department, and departmental proceedings will follow pending a detailed inquiry.
The mother of the victim girl told mediapersons that the teacher had been “passing inappropriate comments” and had earlier physically punished her daughter when confronted.
“My daughter told us about the incident a few days after it happened. When I asked the teacher about it, he claimed she was mischievous and that he had only punished her,” she said.
Police said an investigation is underway and statements of students, staff and parents were recorded to ascertain the sequence of events. The situation in the village remained tense but under control as of Thursday evening.