Students return home crying, accuse teacher of molestation:Primary school teacher held under POCSO in Chhatarpur; accused calls it conspiracy

A case of alleged molestation involving more than six girl students has come to light at a government primary school in Dhori village of Chhatarpur district. The incident surfaced on Thursday afternoon when the students returned home crying and told their families that a teacher was misbehaving with them in class. Based on complaints from the families, police have registered a case against teacher Sanjeev Chaturvedi under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and other provisions. He has been arrested. Family members said similar concerns had been raised earlier, but this time the children appeared deeply frightened. This prompted the families to go directly to the school to confront the teacher. Several villagers and family members reached the school on Thursday and questioned the teacher. The situation became tense, and police were informed through Dial 112. Police reached the spot and took the teacher safely to the police station. Crowd gathers at police station, villagers demand strict action Police brought the accused teacher to Orchha Road police station. Soon after, a large number of villagers also reached the police station. They expressed anger over the allegations and demanded strict action. Police officials managed the situation and calmed the crowd. Officers said the investigation is in its early stage and further statements will be recorded. The teacher, aged 52, has been posted at the school since 2019. Police said an FIR has been registered based on the complaint of one student’s mother. Statements from other students and parents will also be recorded if they come forward. Police teams also visited the school on Thursday as part of the inquiry. Both boys and girls study at the school. Teacher denies allegations, cites dispute over mid-day meal During questioning, teacher Sanjeev Chaturvedi denied the allegations and called them false. He claimed that he has an ongoing dispute with some local people over the mid-day meal arrangements at the school and alleged that he is being falsely implicated because of this dispute. Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act related to molestation and offences against children. Police said the matter is serious and all aspects are being examined. Villagers allege teacher threatened students to stay silent Villagers said several girls had reported the alleged misconduct. Mathura Prasad Kushwaha, a resident of the village, said when two or three girls shared their experience, villagers went to the school together and questioned the teacher. According to villagers, the girls repeated their allegations in front of everyone at the school. They also alleged that the teacher would threaten them with beating and failing them in exams if they told anyone at home. Police were informed after the confrontation, and officers took the teacher to the police station. Police say statements of students yet to be recorded Investigation Officer SI Uma Parihar said the case is under investigation and statements of the students and others are yet to be formally recorded. She said police will visit the village and school to collect statements and evidence. She added that since the matter involves children, all procedures will be followed carefully before further action. Police said it is too early to draw conclusions and the investigation is ongoing. Deputy Sarpanch says villagers only questioned teacher Deputy Sarpanch Ankit Singh said the girls had raised the issue earlier and had also informed Anganwadi workers. He said when villagers reached the school, the girls repeated the allegations. He said police were immediately informed, and the teacher was taken to the police station. The Deputy Sarpanch clarified that villagers did not engage in violence and only questioned the teacher. He said people from across the village later gathered at the police station as the matter became widely known.