A 52-year-old Nawada school principal was arrested under the POCSO Act after girl students accused him of inappropriate behaviour and unwanted physical contact.
The allegations led to protests by students’ parents and local residents, with police registering an FIR and sending the principal to judicial custody.
Congress leader Pawan Khera linked the case to the recent Jamui incident and criticised the Bihar government over women’s and girls’ safety.
Shortly after the alleged molestation of two Class 10 students in Bihar’s Jamui triggered outrage, another case involving allegations of sexual misconduct against minors has emerged from the state’s Nawada district.
A government school in Nawada witnessed protests on September 18 after girl students accused its principal, Mahesh Prasad Yadav, of inappropriate behaviour and unwanted physical contact. Police later arrested the 52-year-old headmaster under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Brut reported.
The incident was reported at Utkramit Madhya Vidyalaya in Anandpura, under Nawada Sadar block. According to reports, students from Classes 6 to 8 made allegations against Yadav, including claims that he touched them inappropriately, made them sit on his lap and behaved improperly near the school bathroom.
How The Allegations Came To Light
The allegations reportedly came to light after a Class 8 student approached Yadav during an examination to collect examination material. She later told other students about his alleged behaviour according to a report by Brut.
Following the complaints, parents of students and local residents gathered at the school and staged a protest. Police reached the premises after being informed about the demonstration and took Yadav into custody.
An FIR was registered based on the students’ complaints, with provisions of the POCSO Act invoked. Yadav was subsequently sent to judicial custody, according to reports.
Police are investigating the allegations and recording statements from the students. Since the case involves minors, their identities have not been disclosed.
Pawan Khera Attacks Bihar Government
The case also drew a political response from Congress leader Pawan Khera, who criticised the Bihar government over the allegations.
Taking to X, Khera wrote: “The BJP in Bihar must paint its face black. On one hand, a teenage boy and girl were allegedly harassed and molested by thugs in Jamui. And now, young girls are crying in Nawada, Bihar because their school principal peeks into the washroom and touches them inappropriately. This is an utterly unacceptable standard of safety and dignity for women and girls - in Bihar or anywhere in India. The Bihar government must raise the standards of policing, accountability and basic social order. If it cannot ensure that girls walk on the streets and use a school washroom without fear, then it should walk out in shame.”
Khera had earlier criticised the Bihar government over the Jamui case, in which a viral video showed two Class 10 students allegedly being harassed and molested by a group of men on a public road.
Describing the Jamui footage as “horrifying”, Khera also criticised social media platforms, including X, over restrictions on posts containing visuals from the incident.
“The incident in Jamui is so horrifying that X is restricting posts containing visuals of the incident – including my own. But no amount of censorship can hide the reality. Our society is already deeply entrenched in patriarchy and misogyny. Combine that with a government whose commitment to women goes little beyond lip service, and the result is disastrous,” Khera wrote.
He added: “Had Modi and Shah taken firm and exemplary action against perpetrators of violence against women, they could have established a clear standard of accountability and deterrence. Instead, their repeated political and institutional attempts to shield and reward such perpetrators create the opposite effect: A climate in which violence against women becomes a state-backed norm.”
The Nawada case is now under investigation, with police examining the allegations made by the students.
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