Villagers in Mangaluru’s outskirts express anguish over delay in arrest of teacher accused in POCSO
Mangaluru: Residents of Kallamundkur village express dismay over the delayed arrest of a teacher accused of sexual harassment at the local government school under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The incident came to light when the school's Headmaster lodged a complaint at Moodbidre Police Station on March 13 against the accused teacher, Guruva Mogera, a resident of Dharmasthala in Belthangady taluk. The complaint alleged that Mogera had sexually harassed female students of the school on February 28. Subsequently, a case was registered against him under the POCSO Act at the Woman’s Police Station in Mangalore.
An inquiry was conducted by officials from the education department, child welfare authorities, and officers from the Woman’s Police Station. During the inquiry, students provided written testimony against the accused teacher.
Former President of the Old Students Association, Dhananjay, criticized the police department for negligence in apprehending the accused. He also noted the reluctance of locals to take further steps, attributing it to the support Mogera receives from his own caste community. Dhananjay emphasized that no group or community should shelter a criminal who has harmed children.
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Reports from local media indicated that Mogera was freely moving around the village even after a case was filed against him on March 14. This prompted the police and other concerned departments to intensify efforts to locate the accused, who had gone missing.
Dayanand, another member of the community, highlighted that even former students had come forward to accuse the teacher of sexual harassment. He criticized the delay in the arrest, attributing it to what he perceived as the police department's negligence.
In response to the concerns raised, Panambur Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manoj Kumar Naik assured that police teams were actively working to apprehend the accused. Naik stated confidently that Mogera would be arrested soon.
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Five to six opposition MLAs might cross over to Mahayuti in few months: NCP chief whip Anil Patil
Mumbai, Nov 24: There is unrest in the Maha Vikas Aghadi camp and its five to six MLAs might join the ruling Mahayuti in the next few months, claimed NCP chief whip Anil Patil, who has retained his Amalner assembly seat, on Sunday.
The MVA of Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a crushing blow in the Maharashtra assembly polls, winning only 46 of the state's 288 seats. By contrast, the BJP-led ruling coalition, which also has NCP and Shiv Sena as partners, bagged an impressive 230 seats.
“There is tremendous unrest among some NCP (SP), Congress and Sena (UBT) MLAs who have been re-elected. Those having good relations with us have expressed concerns over MVA’s massive defeat,” Patil told Marathi news channel ABP Majha.
If one wants development works in his constituency, it is good to be in power, said the legislator from Ajit Pawar’s party.
“The MVA MLAs feel their future is uncertain. It shouldn’t be a surprise if five to six MLAs cross over to the Mahayuti in the next four months,” he said.
In the results of the Maharashtra polls declared on Saturday, BJP won in 132 constituencies, while its partners Shiv Sena and NCP walked away with 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
From the MVA camp, Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged 20 seats followed by Congress’ 16 and 10 by NCP (SP).
