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UP govt schools have no panel to deal with cases of sexual harassment

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sexual harassment

Most of the government schools in Uttar Pradesh have not yet set up a dedicated panel to deal with sexual harassment cases, as per the provisions of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act of 2012.

Lucknow, Feb 6 : Most of the government schools in Uttar Pradesh have not yet set up a dedicated panel to deal with sexual harassment cases, as per the provisions of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act of 2012.

In contrast, private schools largely abide by the Act.

Sarita Singh, gender equity consultant for basic education department, said, “We run regular awareness programmes at schools and have nodal officers in every district as well as basic education officers, who go to schools to ensure that these campaigns are run regularly. There is supposed to be one dedicated teacher in each school to look after potential cases of sexual harassment.”

Vishwajeet Pandey, district officer for Lucknow, said that no such cases of sexual harassment have ever come to his attention from the 1,871 schools under the department during his term. “We hardly get to hear of any complaints from the school in-charges. During Covid, we got a complaint regarding a child marriage — where the girl had run away from home because she was being forced into marriage. No case of sexual harassment has so far come to light.”

Notably, a circular sent out by the basic education department to all government schools in 2016 directed that every school should have a three-member management committee for the monitoring of possible sexual offences.

This panel should be chaired by the head of the school and have at least one female member.

However, according to Sarita Singh, there has hardly been any follow-up to properly check the implementation of the order.

While the basic education department runs awareness campaigns with teachers and students in schools, a system for redressal and registering of such complaints is lacking.

Shuchita Chaturvedi, member of Uttar Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said, “If a child wants to register an anonymous complaint with school authorities, how are they supposed to do that? There is nobody to address these complaints. The children are not aware of the course of action they should adopt to register a complaint.”

Meanwhile, Vijay Kiran Anand, director general for School Education Uttar Pradesh, said, “We have a programme called gender equity programme and through that, we keep conducting awareness drives. Sensitisation of teachers and students through trainings and workshops happen regularly. There are committees at the district-level but not in schools. We have given instructions to school managements but compliance of the order can be adjudged when complaints surface. We have around 1.36 lakh schools. We are not certain as to how many schools have complied to order.”

In a similar vein, Vishwajeet Pandey added, “We have conducted street plays and discussions at the schools but we never received a sexual harassment complaint as such. Complaints and suggestion boxes are provided in some schools.”

Crime

Kenyan Woman Held At Mumbai Airport For Smuggling Cocaine Worth ₹6.65 Crore In Ingested Capsules

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Mumbai: The officers of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Sunday arrested a 43-year-old Kenyan woman for smuggling cocaine worth Rs 6.65 crore. The woman had ingested capsules containing cocaine and she purged six capsules during medical examination in a hospital.

According to sources, DRI Mumbai had specific intelligence which indicated that a female passenger Florence Awino Indangasi travelling from Nairobi to Mumbai might have concealed some narcotics substance.

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Crime

Mumbai Police Constable Arrested For Molesting 12-Year-Old Girl In Saat Rasta Area

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Mumbai: A shameful incident that tarnishes the image of the police uniform has come to light in the jurisdiction of Agripada Police Station. A police constable has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl in the Saat Rasta area. The shocking act was caught on CCTV, which played a key role in his arrest.

About The Case

According to police sources, the minor had stepped out of her building to collect prasad on Saturday when the 45-year-old constable began following her. When she tried to take the elevator, the constable allegedly stopped her, forcibly grabbed her hand, and dragged her up the stairs

According to Agripada police sources, the minor girl had stepped out of her building to collect prasad when the 45-year-old accused, who was present in the Surrounding area, started following her. When the minor girl enter the elevator, the constable allegedly stopped her and forcibly held her hand. He then reportedly dragged her up the staircase to the first floor of the building.

A police constable posted with the LA in Tardeo has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl in the Saat Rasta area. The  Shameful incident, which occurred on Saturday, came to light after the girl informed her mother, prompting her to lodge a police complaint.

Following the complaint, Agripada Police registered an FIR under Sections 74 and 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The constable was taken into custody on Sunday. Police officials said the incident was captured on CCTV, and the footage is being treated as vital evidence in establishing the constable’s role in the offence. The investigation is ongoing.

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Crime

Maloni resident youth arrested for selling pistol in Mumbai

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Police in Maloni area of Mumbai have claimed to have arrested a person with an illegal revolver. The said person was roaming around with an unlicensed weapon and had a pistol pointed at his back. On receiving information, the police found a man aged between 32 and 37 years near Desai Maidan, who had a pistol pointed at his back. Police have recovered a black pistol made in India and four live cartridges from him. He had brought the pistol here from the village with the intention of selling it. The price of the pistol is said to be Rs 75,000 and the price of four cartridges is Rs 4,000. Police have arrested the accused, identified as 35-year-old Arif Ismail Shah. He is a resident of Ratnagiri. Police have registered a case against him under the Arms Act and are investigating further. During investigation, it was found that he had brought this pistol from Goa and had come here to sell it. This information was given by ACP Neeta Padvi of Mumbai Police.

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