Manhunt launched in Akola case

A manhunt has been launched to track down the two teachers who reportedly molested and made sexual advances to girl students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Akola in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region.

Akola police said two teams have been formed to track down Rajan Gajbhiye and Shailesh Ramteke after a complaint was launched at the Civil Lines police station alleging that the science teachers have been talking vulgar, molested students and made sexual advances.

There are 359 students enrolled for residential schooling at the JNV in Babhulgaon at Akola district. Despite their poor backgrounds, they are selected for being promising and are given high quality residential training at the school.

Parents of the girls and Maharashtra State Women’s Commission (MSWC) have sought a meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to put their case directly to him, while the Commission may also seek an appointment with Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani whose ministry is in charge of the nearly 600 JNVS across the country.

Maharashtra’s Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde reviewed the investigations.
District Collector Arun Shinde and Superintendent of Police Chandrakishore Mina assured all help to the victims, parents and MSWC following which the complaint against the teachers was lodged.

“We would be meeting the chief minister next week and explain to him the entire issue and request the government to take action against the teachers,” MSWC member Dr Asha Mirge, who is a gynaecologist by profession, told Deccan Herald over phone from Akola.

She said though the name of one other teacher came up, he was excluded from the complaint after he apologised to the parents. “It is not just a single complaint, but by 55 girl students, all aged between 13 and 17 and studying in classes from 9th to 12th,” she said.

“Majority of the girls are from very poor families and have been inducted into JNV after passing a rigorous entrance exam,” Dr Mirge said.

JNV-Akola Principal R Singh informed Dr Mirge that an internal committee had forwarded its probe report on the incident to the JNV Divisional Commissioner, Pune, who is in charge of 64 schools in Maharashtra (33), Gujarat (26), Goa and Daman & Diu (two each) and one in Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

MSWC has dispatched its trauma teams to all the 30 JNVs in the state to ascertain if there are similar incidents.