Bhubaneswar, 29 Aug

A 36-year-old Sanskrit teacher of a government-run school in Odisha's Sundargarh district has been booked for allegedly sexually harassing seven girl students of the institute, police said on Friday.

According to police, the headmistress of the school lodged a written complaint at the Gurundia police station on 20 August after the allegations surfaced.

Acting on the complaint, a case has been registered against the teacher under Sections 74 (assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), 75 (sexual harassment) and 351 (2) [criminal intimidation] of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 8 (sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment) of the POCSO Act, an officer of the police station said.

The complainant has alleged that the Sanskrit teacher has sexually harassed seven girl students inside the school premises on 16 August.

After having a meeting with the senior officials, the school headmistress lodged the complaint on 20 August, and the case was immediately registered, the police said.

"We have recorded the statements of the concerned students under 180 of BNSS, while prayer has been before the magistrate to record their statements under 183 of BNSS," Rameswar Singh, inspector in charge (IIC) of Gurundia police station, told PTI over the phone.

After receiving the order, the statement would be recorded. After all this is completed, further actions will be taken, he said.

Meanwhile, the Sanskrit teacher, against whom the case was registered, was absconding from the area. Efforts are on to trace him, Singh said.