Deogarh: A minor girl studying in a government-run Industrial Training Institute (ITI) under Barkote police limits in this district was allegedly sexually assaulted over a period of one month by the principal of the institute.
The matter came to light after police launched an investigation into the charges after the 17-year-old girl lodged a complaint at the Barkote police station.
The accused principal, identified as Ratikant Parida, allegedly harassed and sexually assaulted the girl over the course of a month.
The matter came to the fore after the victim, a resident of a local childcare home named ‘Support’, returned to the facility on a scheduled break.
Child Welfare Officer Satyapriya Pradhan of the childcare home grew suspicious after finding the student in possession of expensive gifts, cash, and a mobile phone.
Following an inquiry by District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Romeo Mohapatra, counsellor Subhadra Sahu interviewed the girl, who detailed a pattern of systemic abuse.
According to the complaint, the hostel warden allegedly forced the victim to skip classes and serve food in the principal’s private quarters while the other students studied in their classrooms.
She was reportedly coerced into performing domestic chores, such as cleaning, plucking flowers and massaging the principal.
The principal allegedly used his car to take the girl to various locations, purchasing snacks and gifts to groom her before engaging in sexual assault. DCPO Mohapatra, along with childcare home manager Chandrasekhar Sahu and counsellor Subhadra Sahu, accompanied the victim to the Barkote police station and lodged a formal complaint Friday.
Police registered a case (161/26) under Sections 64(2) (F) and 64(2) (M) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 6 of the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences).
“An investigation is underway following the formal complaint,” said Sushant Badhai, the Inspector-In-Charge of Barkote police station.
Efforts to contact Parida failed as he did not respond to several attempts to reach him via telephone for comment.
