School teacher arrested for allegedly molesting five students in Goa

Representational image (iStock)


A teacher of a government-run school in Goa was arrested on Thursday for allegedly molesting five girl students, the police said. The arrest was made after the students complained about the teacher, Manoj Phadte to authorities, Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas told reporters.

“The students, all minors from Classes 5 and 7, informed the school’s internal complaints committee that they were molested by the teacher. The girls alleged that the teacher touched them inappropriately,” Gawas said.

The school’s internal committee then conducted an inquiry and found merit in the allegations, he said.

“Following a police complaint filed by the school’s internal complaints committee, an FIR was lodged against the accused and he was arrested on Thursday morning,” he said. Phadte has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (molestation) and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act.

Last month chief coach of Goa state swimming team, Surajit Ganguly, was sacked on Thursday by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) after a video and photographs of him allegedly molesting a minor girl surfaced online.