Post News Network
Baripada, April 6: Police Monday arrested Madhusudan Mahanta, the headmaster of Gudialabandha High School in Badasahi block of Mayurbhanj district, on the charge of misbehaving with an inmate of the school’s girls’ hostel run by SC/ST department.
Earlier, more than a hundred guardians had gheraoed the school demanding Mahanta’s arrest. Tension spiraled as the people heard that the police were ‘trying to shield’ the headmaster. The guardians locked all the teachers in a room and locked the school’s main gate.
They also blocked the Udala-Baripada main road by burning tyres.The Betnoti SDPO arrived at the spot and deployed two platoons of police to maintain law and order. The agitators relented after the BDO promised stern action against the accused. Meanwhile, district education officer Pratibha Manjari Dash has relieved the headmaster of his duties and asked another teacher, Taranikanta Nayak, to take charge.
The headmaster misbehaved with the girls regularly on the pretext of calling them for dinner, Draupadi Mahanta, a guardian said, adding the teacher used to threaten that he would oust the girls if they told anyone about it.
“The future of our daughters would be spoiled unless the headmaster is removed,” several other guardians,
including Kuntala Bindhani and Kalpana Mahanta, said.The accused headmaster, however, refuted the charges.
Badasahi police station IIC Pascal Ekka said they have arrested the accused. The matter would be investigated and strong action would be taken if the allegations are substantiated, Ekka added.
However, a source said it is not the misbehaviour of the headmaster but a hostel inmate becoming pregnant that has triggered the incident.
No case has been lodged with the police over the issue as the victim’s guardian is reluctant to disclose the matter, the source added.
