Vikhroli school headmaster held for alleged sexual assault on minor

A mob of angry parents waits outside the school premises after confronting the headmaster on Friday. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

A 42-year-old headmaster from a Vikhroli-based government school was arrested on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting and harassing a 13-year-old girl on the school premises. The incident came to light on Friday morning when a group of parents, including the minor's parents, gathered outside the school to meet the authorities. While the school management allegedly refused to engage with them, the group confronted the accused headmaster. The situation quickly escalated, with the parents verbally and physically assaulting him before the Vikhroli police were notified.

Speaking with mid-day, the minor's aunt said, "We first approached the school authorities on December 16, and they assured us that strict action would be taken against the headmaster. However, two days later, nothing had been done. When we followed up on December 18, they told us nothing could be done. After waiting another day, we decided to take the matter to the police." The aunt was the first person the girl confided in, revealing the horrifying incidents she endured at school on two separate occasions.

According to the Vikhroli police, the girl's statement was recorded on Friday evening as part of the FIR registration process. In her statement, which was accessed by mid-day, she said, "In July, he [the headmaster] made me and my classmates run around the ground wearing only our PT uniforms. On the same day, when I entered the classroom after the punishment, he said, ‘dekho, chand ka tukda aaya hai'. He then instructed me to sit alone on the last bench. He sat next to me and, while staring at my chest, made inappropriate comments."

The second incident occurred in August. She said, "I was standing outside the classroom when he came up from behind and started touching my back." According to her aunt, the minor stopped attending school after August, which made her parents suspicious. However, she did not disclose the reason until they insisted, at which point she confided in her aunt. In her statement, the girl also mentioned that on December 15, one of her friends called to inform her that the headmaster frequently mentioned her name and had even asked her friends for her contact number.

According to Vikhroli police, when they reached the school premises, the mob was assaulting the headmaster. "We safely rescued the accused and brought him to the police station. Statements of the minor, her aunt (the complainant), and her parents were recorded and an FIR has been registered under the charges of sexual assault and sexual harassment of the BNS and POCSO Act," said a senior police officer privy to the investigation.