Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Tripura hit by sex scandal

Calcutta News.Net
Friday 27th August, 2010

A day after the principal of a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) in Tripura was arrested following rape charges slapped by a teacher, hundreds of students of the school took out a march demanding his immediate release saying the charge was 'a blatant lie and motivated', officials said here Friday.

A local court Friday sent Rupendra Singh, principal of JNV of Ramchandraghat in western Tripura, 75 km north of here, to jail for 14 days.

'The principal was arrested Thursday evening after the lady teacher lodged a complaint with the Khowai police station in western Tripura alleging that Singh had sexually assaulted her in his official chamber,' a police official said.

Students walked about 8 km, from Ramchandraghat Ghat to reach Khowai, and met Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nripendra Chandra Sharma and demanded his intervention in the matter.

'The students claimed the allegation against their principal was a blatant lie and motivated and they asked the SDM not to allow the lady teacher to enter the school as it 'might result in an unsavoury incident',' the police official stated.

The SDM expressed his inability to intervene saying the matter was subjudice.

The teacher is presently on leave.

In a similar incident, the principal of another JNV in southern Tripura was arrested on charges of sexually abusing a woman teacher in September last year.

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