Siliguri, 08 May (Siliguri Chronicle) – A teacher has been arrested in Siliguri following allegations of sexual harassment and blackmail of minor students under the pretext of private tuition classes in the Pradhan Nagar police station area.
The accused, identified as 43-year-old Pritam Ghosh, is a resident of Jhankar More and conducted tuition classes in the Samar Nagar area. He is also employed as a History teacher at a government high school in Champasari.
According to allegations, the teacher threatened students with failure in examinations and allegedly used those threats to blackmail them. He is also accused of sending obscene messages and photographs to students’ mobile phones before allegedly subjecting them to physical exploitation during tuition sessions.
The matter came to light after several students disclosed the allegations to their families. Following this, parents and local residents staged a protest in the Samar Nagar area on Thursday.
After receiving information about the incident, police personnel along with central forces reached the area and brought the situation under control. The accused was later arrested based on a written complaint lodged by one of the victim students.
Police have registered a case against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and produced him before a court.
Investigators are seeking police remand of the accused to examine his mobile phone and carry out further interrogation.
Police sources said the accused is married. Statements of other students are also being recorded as part of the ongoing investigation.
