Kendrapara, Five teachers of a private school have been arrested for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, police said.
The arrests were made on Saturday after the father of the Class-7 student and the district child welfare committee lodged separate complaints at the Rajkanika police station, alleging that the accused teachers had raped the minor, a senior officer said.
The parents of the student approached the district child welfare committee after their daughter accused the teachers of abusing her sexually for a long period, he said.
The committee initially investigated the allegation and brought the matter to police, the officer said.
“A complaint was lodged on February 18. After a 48-hour-long investigation, we referred the case to the police for legal action,” child welfare committee member Swagatika Patra said.
The panel also directed the district education officer to carry out a separate investigation into the allegation, she said.
“The accused teachers were arrested on the basis of preliminary investigation. Further probe is underway,” Rajkanika police station inspector-in-charge Sanjay Mallick said.
Meanwhile, opposition BJD submitted a memorandum to the Kendrapara SP and demanded stringent punishment for the culprits.>
