School teacher arrested for 'marrying' minor student
Taderu (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): A 46-year-old school teacher and father of two daughters was arrested here for allegedly 'marrying' his minor student, a 15-year-old girl, said a police official on Friday.
Police arrested K Somaraju on Thursday, Hindi teacher of Yandagani Zilla Parishad High School near Bhimavaram in West Godavari district for luring the girl under the guise of love and 'marrying' her by tying a sacred thread around her neck, police said.
"Somaraju courted the minor girl for four months and gave his smartphone to her. Recently, he picked her up from her house, took her to his house and married her," West Godavari District Disha (women's protection wing) DSP N Murali Krishna told PTI.
After allegedly manipulating and marrying the girl on November 19, Somaraju forcibly kept her with him for a couple of days and consummated the 'marriage'.
However, Krishna said the girl managed to escape from his clutches to return home in Yandagandi village and informed her family about the ordeal.
Later, accompanied by her father, the 10th standard student approached the police and lodged a complaint against her Hindi teacher.
Police arrested Somaraju, whose wife abandoned him seven years ago, and filed a case under IPC Sections 376, 342 and 506.
Police also booked him under Sections 5 & 6 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act and Section 9 of the Child Marriage Act.
The DSP said Somaraju will be produced before a Judge later Friday.
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T'gana BC panel seeks reports over infant's death, family alleges caste abuse
Hyderabad (PTI): The Telangana Commission for Backward Classes on Monday sought reports from state government officials on the death of an infant following alleged assault and caste abuse against her family members in Nagarkurnool district while visiting a temple fair.
In separate letters, Commission Chairman G Niranjan urged Endowments Department Commissioner S Harish and Nagarkurnool district Collector Badavath Santhosh to furnish the reports within three days.
Niranjan drew the officials' attention to media reports on the death of the two-month-old baby at Kummera village in the district and alleged caste discrimination and denial of entry to the temple fair to the baby's family belonging to a BC community.
BJP OBC Morcha's state unit president G Anand Goud alleged inadequate response by the police in the incident and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident.
Alleging that the deceased baby's father was attacked in the incident, he also demanded action against the attackers.
Goud told reporters that BJP's state unit president N Ramachander Rao would visit the village on February 24 and meet the baby's family members.
Meanwhile, a BRS delegation met DGP B Shivadhar Reddy and demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.
The BRS leaders sought action against a person who allegedly attacked the infant's parents.
BC associations have held protests over the past few days regarding the alleged caste discrimination against the deceased infant's family members.
Police said on Sunday that four persons were arrested in connection with the cases registered after the family alleged that the baby died following an "assault" by a group of villagers. The family also alleged that they were abused in the name of caste in the incident on February 18.
However, a villager, part of the group, lodged a counter-complaint with the police the same day, alleging that he was attacked with stones during a scuffle with the family, sustaining a head injury, following which a case was registered.
The infant died on February 21 and her mother, who belongs to an SC community, also lodged a complaint alleging her daughter died due to the physical assault on the family by some villagers, police said.
