School teacher convicted for sexual assault of minor tribal girls

BALURGHAT: A South Dinajpur court has convicted a school teacher for sexually assaulting four minor tribal girls inside a school under Kumarganj Police Station in 2018. The incident, which drew widespread outrage at the time, came to light after the victims filed a complaint at the local police station. The accused was subsequently arrested and a case was registered under Section 10 of the POCSO Act.

The trial took place in the Special POCSO Court at Balurghat, presided over by Judge Sharanya Sen Prasad. The court found the accused guilty under Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Section 354A(1) of the Indian Penal Code. On Saturday, the judge sentenced the convict to six years of rigorous imprisonment under the POCSO Act along with a fine of Rs 10,000. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional one year of rigorous imprisonment. The court further ordered a compensation of Rs 50,000 to be paid to the victims. Speaking on behalf of the prosecution, District Public Prosecutor Ritabrata Chakraborty stated: “Due to the sensitive nature of the case and to protect the identity of the minor victims, the identity of the convicted individual has been withheld, as he was employed in the same school where the victims studied.”