Malkangiri student death: Headmaster arrested for sexual assault

Bhubaneswar: Hours after family members of a minor girl, who died under mysterious circumstances at a residential school in Malkangiri two days ago, levelled allegations of murder, Police today arrested the headmaster of the school on charges of sexually assaulting the deceased girl.

Clarifying the matter, Malkangiri SP, Jagmohan Meena said, police has seized a hand-written notebook of the deceased minor girl Bandana Sarkar in which she has mentioned that Biswajit Sarkar, the headmaster of Sikhapali Residential School used to sexually abuse her.

Even as the exact cause of the death of the girl is yet to be ascertained, Police suspect that the girl might have taken the extreme step after losing mental balance following sexual harassment.

“Based on the seized notebook we have arrested the accused headmaster on charges of abetting suicide and further investigation is on,” said the SP.

What is more shocking is that, during the course of investigation, another girl of the same school also levelled similar allegations of sexual harassment against the headmaster.

“After another girl lodged a complaint that she too was subjected to sexual assault, we registered a second case against the accused and he would be forwarded to court in both these cases,” said the SP.

Also Read: Plus II girl student drugged & raped in Balasore

On August 2, a hostel warden of the Sikhapali Residential School spotted Bandana lying in a pool of blood with her wrist slit, inside the computer room of the school.

Later she was rushed to Malkangiri hospital where doctors declared her brought-dead. An autopsy report meanwhile has clarified that she died of excessive bleeding.