Mysuru, 26 Feb

HD Kote Town police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the in-charge headmaster of a government higher primary school in Agasana Hundi, HD Kote taluk, for allegedly sexually harassing two minor students.

The case was registered based on a complaint lodged by HD Kote Block Education Officer (BEO) Kantharaj. The accused, H Girish, has been absconding since the case was filed.

Though the incident came to light on 19 February, there was a delay in registering the complaint and initiating action. Teachers, Cluster Resource Person HR Deepa, and others reported the matter to the BEO, but as the police had not yet received the complaint, no immediate action was taken. Frustrated by the inaction, villagers and parents of the victims staged a protest on Wednesday, locking the school doors.

Upon receiving information about the protest, HD Kote Circle Police Inspector Shabeer Hussein visited the village and, along with BEO Kantharaj, assured the villagers that strict action would be taken against the accused. Following their intervention, the protest was withdrawn, and the school was reopened for students.

Villagers alleged that the headmaster, who was transferred to the school six months ago, had been harassing students and demanded strict action against him.

Speaking to reporters, Inspector Shabeer Hussein stated that a POCSO case has been registered and that the accused will be arrested soon.