Headmaster and teacher of Karnataka govt school suspended over sexual harassment case
Shivamogga: A 45-year-old teacher and the headmaster of a Government school in Karnataka's Shivamogga district have been suspended on charges of sexual harassment and dereliction of duty, respectively, officials said on Monday.
The teacher of the school at Soppinakeri village in Shikaripura taluk was accused of sexually harassing female students aged between nine and 12 for the past few months.
The headmaster did not take action against him despite the issue being brought to his attention, they said.
The matter came to the notice of the senior education department officials on December five following which a detailed probe into the allegations levelled against the teacher was taken up, officials said.
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Shivamogga Deputy Director of Public Instructions C R Parameshwarappa told PTI that the inquiry was ordered based on the complaints received from the parents of the students and School Development and Management Committee members.
The male teacher and the headmaster were suspended on Friday based on the preliminary report submitted by the block education officer of Shikaripura.
The charge against the headmaster, who was not involved in the harassment of students, is that he never took action against the accused teacher nor did he report the matter to any of the higher authorities despite being in the know of the matter, officials said.
''The headmaster attempted to suppress the matter which is why he was also suspended in connection with the incident. A detailed investigation is underway'', Parameshwarappa added.
According to officials, the School Development and Management Committee members also approached a senior officer at the Shikaripura rural police station following which they registered a case under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act against the accused teacher on December 9.
The matter has also been intimated to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).
As part of police investigation, the statements of the girl students have been recorded and medical examination of the victims done.
Further action will be taken based on the report of the CWC, the officials added.
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Fan tries to die by suicide over Nikhil Kumaraswamy's bypoll loss
Bengaluru: Channapatna JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who lost the byelection to C.P. Yogeshwar of Congress, on Sunday consoled a fan who reportedly attempted to end his life and requested him not to repeat such acts.
Manjunath, fondly called Abhi, had even penned a letter before taking the dangerous step. Nikhil, who called on Manjunath at the latter’s home in Kudloor in Channapatna, expressed shock and sadness over the incident.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy reassured Manjunath, expressing his support during the difficult time. He told him that he was deeply troubled to learn of this incident and emphasised that he would stand by him. Nikhil also promised to offer assistance in any way he could, including helping him secure employment opportunities in the future, as reported by the Deccan Herald.
He also reminded Manjunath of the importance of his children’s well-being, urging him to focus on their future. “Please, look at the faces of your growing children. Even I have a three-year-old son. The children are young, let us take care of their future also. I will arrange some job opportunities for you. I might not be an MLA but this is a challenge. I will get you employed,” he said.
Nikhil told media persons that he is extremely hurt more by Manjunath’s attempt to die than by his loss in the election. “At 7:30 a.m., we got a message that in Valetoopu, Manjunath had consumed poison yesterday. In Channapatna, our workers and leaders have built this party with zeal. Let the admiration be there in your hearts but if it crosses the line, your families get hurt and we get very pained by it,” he was quoted as saying by the publication.
Speaking of his byelection loss, Nikhil reiterated that the JD(S) had got its traditional votes, but that the votes of a particular community went against the party.
“Deve Gowda gave reservation to a community. We tried our last attempt to take that community into confidence. But they conveyed to us that they do not require us. In future, we will take other communities into confidence,” he remarked in a veiled reference to Muslims.
Nikhil lost the election by a margin of 25,413 votes to Congress candidate C.P. Yogeshwar.
