A teacher was arrested in Akola district of Maharashtra state on suspicion of sexually assaulting six girls and showing them obscene videos, police said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, charges were filed against Pramod Manohar Sardar, a 47-year-old public school teacher in Akola district of Maharashtra state, after some female students accused him of harassing them by showing obscene videos.

This development came amid protests against the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in a kindergarten in the town of Badlapur in Thane district of Maharashtra.

The teacher, who works at the Zilla Parishad School in Kazikhed, was arrested after questioning.

What FIR said

According to the complaint registered at the Ural police station, six schoolgirls complained that the teacher had been showing them obscene videos for the past four months, an official told news agency PTI. Further investigations are underway, the police official added.

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The crime came to light when the students called the toll-free number of the Child Protection Committee. Members of the Child Protection Committee visited the school on Tuesday morning and spoke to some of the girls, following which the case was registered. Asha Mirge, a former member of the State Commission for Women, demanded strict action against the teacher.

Superintendent of Police Akolka Bachchan Singh told news agency ANI that Akola police received a complaint of sexual abuse of six schoolgirls by Pramod Manohar Sardar. The police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded statements from the victims.

“Cases have been registered under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act,” SP Singh added.

Further investigations into the case are ongoing, he said.

Principal Ravindra Samdur said, “Yesterday there was a programme in the school… After that the teacher went to the students of class 7 and 8. Around 4-5 girls said they were harassed. Then we came to know about it. Until then we were not aware of anything like this.”

Nationwide protest against rape and murder of doctor in Calcutta

The incident occurred amid nationwide protests against the alleged rape and murder of a doctor student at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

The attack on a doctor has sent shockwaves throughout the country.

In many states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, doctors have protested, demanding justice and better safety laws for their medical staff.

Following an order of the Calcutta High Court, the case was handed over by the state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

(With contributions from agencies)