A senior officer of the mass education department has been accused of molesting girls of 7th standard during his inspection to a school in Jharsuguda district.
The incident took place in Gandghora Upgraded ME School in Brajarajnagar police station area on Wednesday.
According to the victims, the accused officer, Srikanta Paikrai, deputy director of the mass education department of Bhubaneswar, touched the girls in the pretext of asking them questions. The girls first brought the matter to the notice of their teachers, but when they did not find any result, they informed it to their parents, sources said.
“When the issue came to our notice, we convened a meeting in the village in the evening. There, we decided to lodge an FIR against the officer. Accordingly we came to the police station and lodged a complaint on Thursday,” a villager said.
Brajarajnagar police on Thursday registered a case against the erring officer under section 354 of the IPC (outraging the modesty of a woman) and started investigation into the matter.
“We have registered a case basing of the complaint of the parents and villagers. The accused is absconding. Investigation is on. We will arrest him soon,” the IIC-Brajarajnagar S K Nayak said.
On the other hand, the officer went to a school at Laikera block of the district on Thursday. Sources said he left the school in a hurry after receiving news of the police complaint against him.
