Pune: Two More Students Harassed By Dance Teacher, School Director Sent To Yerwada Jail

Pune, 21st December 2024: A special court on Friday sent the director of a prominent Karvenagar-based school to judicial custody in connection with allegations of negligence after a dance teacher at the school was accused of sexually abusing children.

The director, now lodged in Yerwada Central Jail, faces charges of failing to address the teacher’s misconduct despite apparent evidence. Meanwhile, his lawyers have filed a bail application, which is likely to be heard on Monday.

The case came to light after a group of concerned parents met Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and lodged a formal complaint against the school director. They accused him of failing to act on repeated instances of misconduct by the dance teacher, who allegedly abused students for two years. Parents demanded action against the director for neglecting his responsibility to ensure student safety.

The police arrested the director on Thursday and produced him in court on Friday, where a crowd of agitated parents gathered. Special public prosecutor Premkumar Agarwal argued that the director allowed the dance teacher to conduct additional private classes without proper oversight, violating the institution’s code of conduct.

“The school’s rules clearly prohibit teachers from using mobile phones and physically touching students, yet the accused teacher blatantly violated these norms. Despite surveillance footage showing inappropriate behavior, no action was taken. Was there an attempt to suppress the issue during counseling sessions with the victims? These aspects demand a thorough investigation,” Agarwal said while seeking police custody for the director.

Defence lawyer Rohit Tulpule argued that the charges under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act were not applicable to the school director in this case. The court accepted the argument and sent the director to judicial custody instead of police custody.

The parents, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the institution’s handling of the situation. “For two years, the management ignored clear signs of misconduct. This negligence is unacceptable, and the director must be held accountable,” said one parent.

Group of parents support school management
Around 400 parents of students gathered outside the school premises on Friday to express their support for the school management. The parents, holding posters and placards, called for strict action against the accused but insisted that the school should not be blamed for the incident. They voiced concerns that certain groups were trying to politicize the matter, while also emphasizing their sympathy for the victims.

One parent shared their reason for attending the gathering, stating, “We believe the school is not at fault. Our presence here is voluntary — we were not called by the school or anyone else. We feel the authorities have been transparent in handling the situation.”

Other parents reiterated that the incident came to light during a “good touch, bad touch” awareness session organized by the school. “The authorities could have kept this under wraps, but they didn’t. We want to highlight that the school has done nothing wrong,” said another parent.