- विज्ञापन -
Mumbai: A 37-year-old principal of a Mumbai college has been taken into police custody in Borivali after allegedly making repeated sexual advances towards a minor student over the course of nearly a year, according to officials. The MHB Colony Police have also filed molestation charges against him, underlining the severity of the case.
The 17-year-old victim, a resident of Nagpada in South Mumbai, initially endured the harassment out of fear of social stigma but eventually reported the incidents to the police when the harassment became intolerable. Police sources said the principal was pressuring her to enter into a romantic relationship, and her family assisted her in filing the complaint.
The accused has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with charges of molestation and sexual harassment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which carries a maximum punishment of three years.
This case recalls a prior incident in South Mumbai where a 60-year-old college treasurer was booked for allegedly grabbing a student’s hands forcibly and pushing her during a meeting. It also rekindles memories of an earlier case involving the principal of Mithibai College, accused of sexually harassing a lecturer, which only came to light after the victim approached the Prime Minister’s Office.
Additionally, in 2022, a Mumbai government college principal was booked for casteist remarks against a student, after allegedly humiliating her in class by referencing her tribal background, an incident reported by a woman student from Palghar. The principal was charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
