2 teachers booked for alleged sexual misconduct with minors

Jammu: In two separate incidents, police in Jammu and Kashmir have registered cases against two teachers for alleged sexual misconduct with minor students, leading to their arrest and suspension.
In Kupwara district, North Kashmir, police registered FIR No. 96/2024 under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Sections 9, 10, and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The case was filed following a complaint from two residents of Dardpora, alleging that Showkat Ahmad Bhat, a teacher (school name withheld), engaged in inappropriate conduct with minor female students.
The complaint details that Bhat allegedly took the girls to a separate room within the school premises to commit acts of molestation.
Approximately seven students disclosed these incidents to their parents, prompting the formal complaint.
Police also detained Sajad Ahmad Mir as a suspected accomplice, and an investigation is ongoing.
In a separate incident in Marh village, Jammu district, Sandeep Kumar, a teacher at Government High Secondary School Chatha Gujjran, was arrested after an alleged molestation incident involving a girl student.
Police registered FIR No. 168 under Sections 9, 10, and 75 of the POCSO Act at Police Station Kana Chack.
Following the incident, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) of Jammu took swift action by issuing an order suspending the accused teacher, Sandeep Kumar.
The suspension order was based on information provided by the Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Marh and the Headmaster of Government High Secondary School Chatha Gujjran, where the alleged misconduct took place.
The CEO’s order stated that Sandeep Kumar, a Grade II teacher, would be suspended pending further investigation, with immediate effect.