Three teachers suspended over rape charges in J&K’s Kulgam

at 8:57 pm

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): The J&K School Education Department today suspended three teachers of two middle schools in south Kashmir’s Kulgam after a 20-year-old woman alleged rape by the trio.

Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kulgam, Muhammad Ashraf Rather said that the victim and the teachers, against whom there is a serious allegation of gang rape, hail from the same village.

“The girl has filed a complaint report in the local police station (in Kulgam district) alleging rape by the three teachers. One of the three was immediately arrested wherein one teacher has been put behind the bars. Two others are absconding,” Rather said.

He said in the complaint, the victim has alleged that she was taken to orchards nearby her school and later allegedly raped.

Rather said that the department has also constituted an inquiry committee to find out authenticity of allegations levelled by the student. “The victim is said to be 20-years-old and is not studying anywhere,” he said.

Meanwhile, the concerned Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Kulgam has also issued suspension order against the accused persons.

The order available with the NVI reads: “On the basis of written complaint submitted by inhabitants of village Chachmulla regarding sexual harassment of a local girl, the teachers allegedly involved are hereby placed under suspension with immediate effect pending inquiry”.

Police have also registered a case after the woman filed a written complaint against the trio and investigations have been taken up on a fast track basis. “We have already arrested one person soon after the complaint was filed by the victim. Two others have gone into hiding and they will be arrested soon. The young girl will be examined medically and if the rape is proved, accused will accordingly be booked under the relevant sections,” said a police officer at police station, Chachmulla in Kulgam district.

-ARK