Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 2: Police have registered a case against Principal, Government Higher Secondary School, Larnoo in district Anantnag for allegedly molesting an employee. He has been attached in the office of Chief Education Officer.
A Laboratory Assistant at Higher Secondary alleged that she was molested by the Principal, Abdul Gani Hajam, in his office in the afternoon of 28th November in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
She said that she was deputed for the examination duty of 8thclass on that day but the accused called her to his office on the pretext of official work. “When I was about to distribute the papers, principal asked me to visit his office which is in the second floor of another building,” she told Excelsior.
The school has two buildings and one of them was designated as the examination centers and majority of the staff was there. The Principal’s office, where the incident took place, is on the second buildings and was almost empty as the staff had gone to attend back to village program.
Upon reaching the office, the Principal told her to sit on a chair and began enquiring about her family. “For next 30 minutes, he enquired about my family and qualification,” she said, adding he lured her by offering a helping hand to further her education. “I refused as I wanted to concentrate on my family,” she said.
After sometime he asked her to get tea for him. “I handed over Rs 50 rupees to Arif Magray, who was also in the office, and asked him to get tea for the Principal. I sought permission for the tea break and left the office but was asked to come back in five minutes as he had to discuss an important issue. I came back to the office after a while,” she said.
“He further questioned me and asked if he can visit my home someday. Being a widow denied the permission”, she said.
After exhausting all his measures he resorted to threatening her. “You have taken more causal leaves. It will be mentioned in your service book,” he told her.
He then asked her to stand up. “I was expecting appreciation for being honest with him but he caught hold of me and molested me. He kissed my face and groped my private parts. I somehow managed to free myself,” she said.
Next day she revealed her ordeal in front of the teachers who gave her a patient hearing. “Then I went to the concerned CEO, who assured me that an investigation will be conducted in the matter,” she said. “Till the investigation is done he would be attached and if he is proven guilty he will be suspended”, she was assured.
The accused denied the allegation: “These are mere allegations and I am being punished for my honesty and strictness. I was strict with the teaching and other staff and asked them to attend duties especially after August when staff was reluctant to attend the school,” Abdul Gani Hajam said.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against the accused under FIR-53-2019/354A IPC in the Larnoo Police Station.
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